Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Boundary Review Council Submission 8 May 2018 2
Boundary Review Council Submission 8 May 2018 2
RECOMMENDATIONS:
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This report outlines the purpose of the boundary review, its timetable and introduces
the submission.
BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS:
KEY DECISION: NO
DETAILS:
2.0 The LGBCE briefed councillors on the imminent electoral review before a
meeting of Council on 15 November 2017. The review starts with submissions
on council size, in terms of the total number of wards and total number of
councillors, being made to the LGBCE by the council and other political
groups. The deadline for submissions is end of May 2018.
2.1 The LGBCE will analyse the submissions on council size and then open a
period of consultation on warding patterns lasting until the end of September
2018. The LGBCE will ask for views on:
· the number of and names of wards or divisions;
· where the boundaries between wards or divisions should lie; and
· the number of councillors for each ward or division.
2.2 The feedback received will then shape the LGBCE’s draft recommendations
for new electoral arrangements. The LGBCE will make draft recommendations
on the number of wards and councillors based on the submissions and
feedback from the consultation.
2.3 There will be another consultation period from November through to the end of
January 2019 to gain feedback on what the public think of the LGBCE’s plans
for Salford. If there is strong evidence against the proposals then the LGBCE
may alter their recommendations. If these alterations are significant and the
LGBCE lacks sufficient evidence of local opinion on these alterations, it will
then reopen consultation on revised draft recommendations. In cases where
additional consultation is required it is often limited to a specific geographical
area of the local authority.
2.4 The LGBCE will then issue their final recommendations on council size. These
recommendations will then be put before Parliament to be made law.
3.3 The development of the attached draft has been overseen by a small working
group comprising both Deputy City Mayor’s, Cllr Jolley (Chair of Overview and
Scrutiny), and Cllr’s Walsh, Lancaster and Ferguson. The attached draft
council size submission will be taken for approval through Cabinet and Council
to become the Council’s formal submission.
KEY COUNCIL POLICIES: Salford City Council’s Constitution, City Mayor’s Scheme
of Delegation
PROCUREMENT IMPLICATIONS: NA
Contents
1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 4
Methodology ............................................................................................................. 4
Population Growth..................................................................................................... 9
Context.................................................................................................................... 17
Appendices
2
Council size submission May 2018
3
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):
Methodology
1.4 The development of this submission was led by a political steering group, chaired by
the Statutory Deputy Mayor.
1.5 The submission draws on information from documentary sources such as the
Council’s constitution, and from discussion with elected members and senior officers.
1.6 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.
1.7 The survey also asked councillors for their views on how their role had developed
and changed over time.
1.8 Forty eight councillors responded to the survey, an overall response rate of 80%.
90% of Labour Councillors responded to the survey.
4
Council size submission May 2018
1.9 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.
1.10 The findings from both the survey and completed journals are reported throughout
this submission.
5
Council size submission May 2018
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.
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.
6
Council size submission May 2018
2.5 In addition to investment opportunities listed above, there are other significant
developments such as –
· 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,
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 of residents. The City Mayor has brought partners together to harness
collective energy behind eight strategic priorities – the Great Eight.
7
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.
8
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.
9
Council size submission May 2018
3.4 Detailed forecasts undertaken by Salford City Council show that between 2015 and
2024, the adult population is set to grow by 20%, and 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 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)
10
Council size submission May 2018
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.
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.
3.8 Overall Salford has a younger population than England. One in five (50,000 people)
of everyone living in Salford is aged under 16 and one in every 15 (16,000 people) is
aged over-75. 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)
11
Council size submission May 2018
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. 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.
3.11 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
12
Council size submission May 2018
3.12 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 greater
need for school places for example.
3.13 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
3.14 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.
13
Council size submission May 2018
3.15 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.
3.16 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.”
3.17 The gender split of councillors is currently 72% male councillors to 28% female
councillors. 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.
3.18 Councillors tend to be 55 or older with nearly 60% in this age bracket and just over a
third 65 or older.
3.19 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
3.20 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
3.21 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 and 12th place in IMD 2004. 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 Hulton2.
Figure 5 - Political Representation in Salford and Overall Index of Deprivation - England Rank for LSOA's
in Salford 2015
3.22 Salford ranks 7th most deprived LA in England on the Health Deprivation and
Disability Index5, 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.
3.23 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.
15
Council size submission May 2018
3.24 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.
3.25 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 could increase the number of people in difficulty during the transition
period. 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
3.26 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 Jobcentres 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
16
Council size submission May 2018
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 49 of the 60
councillors are Labour councillors, 9 are Conservative, and there are 2 Independent
councillors. The Council elects its councillors by thirds, with elections held over a
four year cycle.
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.
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:
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”.
17
Council size submission May 2018
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.
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 Salford City Council’s Cabinet consists of a directly elected mayor (the elected City
Mayor) and nine other Cabinet members, including two Deputy City Mayors.
4.15 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.
4.16 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.
4.17 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.
4.18 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.
Position Portfolio
19
Council size submission May 2018
Position Portfolio
20
Council size submission May 2018
Position Portfolio
Position Portfolio
Children's and Young corporate parenting, local education authority, skills and
People's Services – apprenticeships, Strategy for Young People (post 16) who
are not in Employment or Training, skills and work
Lead member on Salford Children and Young People’s
Trust and Salford Safeguarding Children Board.
Education and development part of Starting Life Well
Executive support
4.19 The Executive support functions working with the lead members are as follows:
22
Council size submission May 2018
4.20 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.
4.21 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.
4.22 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
4.23 The survey highlighted how demands on time were different for members of the
cabinet, compared to non-Cabinet Members (Table 3), due to the additional
responsibilities summarised above and described further in the following section.
Cabinet Non-
Member Cabinet
(inc. Exec Member
Support)
Attendance at Council Committees e.g. Scrutiny, 69% 53%
Licensing etc.
4.24 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”
4.25 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 –
24
Council size submission May 2018
4.26 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.
4.27 A fifth of Salford City Council members have been in office for more than 20 years
and a quarter between 10 and 20 years. Just over a quarter (26%) have been
councillors for between 5 and 10 years with just over a fifth (21%) have been in office
for 2- 5 years. Four councillors (7%) were elected in 2017.
4.28 There were around 100 candidates standing in each of the local elections in 2015
and 2016, 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 2016, Labour and Conservatives represented 100%
of wards, Green party and UKIP represented 95% of wards, and Trades Unionists
and Socialists Against Cuts represented 90% of wards. There were also a number
of other independent candidates and candidates from smaller parties.
4.29 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.
4.30 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.
4.31 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.”
4.32 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).
25
Council size submission May 2018
4.33 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) some councillors 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.
4.34 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. This is annually refreshes to take account of the
new requirements imposed by instant communications and social media.
4.35 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).
4.36 Councillors are also part of a political party with most part of the Labour party (44
plus the City Mayor), there are combined Labour and Co-operative Party (5)
councillors, 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.
4.37 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.
4.38 The Council appoints the panels and committees set out below to discharge non-
executive functions.8
4.39 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.
4.40 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.
4.41 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.
4.42 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.
4.43 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.
9 Report to Council 17 May 2017 Membership of Committees and Panels and the Appointments of
Chairs and Deputy Chairs for the Municipal Year 2017/18
10 Salford City Council’s constitution
27
Council size submission May 2018
4.44 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.
4.45 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.
4.46 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
4.47 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.
4.48 Full responsibility for NHS powers and funding was passed to Greater Manchester in
April 2016. Since that time the following has been achieved:
· 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
4.49 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:
11 Report to September 2017 Overview and Scrutiny Board, Salford City Council
12 Report to September 2017 Overview and Scrutiny Board
28
Council size submission May 2018
· 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.
4.50 In addition to working with other Greater Manchester authorities as part of the
Combined Authority, Salford works with other authorities to share services such as
legal services with Manchester City Council and has developed a new Drug and
Alcohol service with Bolton and Trafford.
4.51 Salford City Council is also represented on a number of groups that bring local
authorities together from across the country such as Key Cities and Cooperative
Council Information Network. LGA, LGIU. Key Cities is a group of authorities
considered “mid-sized” due to their populations and economies. Local authorities in
the group share knowledge and develop solutions to common problems. The group
acts together to promote Salford’s economic interests to central government.
4.53 Salford’s involvement with these and other groups shows a willingness to work and
share knowledge collaboratively not just locally and in the city region of Greater
Manchester but nationally too.
4.54 Salford is looking into becoming a Learning City. Learning Cities are being
established across the world, based on the idea that by working and learning
together, the Council can achieve more and in turn this will transform lives,
organisations and cities.
29
Council size submission May 2018
4.55 Salford City Council works collaboratively with a wide range of organisations. In
particular, working with key anchor institutions including the NHS, university, housing
providers, and VCSE sector, means that the city is driving forward a shared set of
cross cutting priorities that places inclusive growth at the heart of public investment.
4.56 Salford is also a pioneer in integrating health and social care. In July 2016, Salford
became the first place in the country to launch a pioneering new Integrated Care
Organisation (ICO), Salford Together, which is transforming the relationship that the
council and NHS have with patients, people and communities.
4.57 Salford Together is the culmination of four years of tireless work by the council, NHS
Salford CCG, Salford Royal FT and Greater Manchester Mental Health FT, with the
transfer of nearly 450 adult social care staff from the council to the new organisation
led by Salford Royal, with a pooled budget in excess of £236 million.
4.58 In addition to the ICO, the city’s pioneering mutual, Aspire, owned by 375 former
council staff delivers £11 million of adult social care services.
4.59 In October 2016, political and officer leadership from the council and University of
Salford came together for the first of many, joint strategic conferences that have
forged stronger operational and academic links for the benefit the wider community.
This includes:
· The signing of a unique cultural partnership agreement along with the Arts
Council England that allow arts and culture to become embedded in the
strategic thinking for the city, leading to the creation of a new cultural
strategy.
4.60 Salford City Council works closely with local “blue light services” in particular Greater
Manchester Police (GMP) and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue (GM FRS) at
strategic and operational levels. The Lead Member for Environment and Community
Safety attends the Community Safety Partnership meetings held quarterly, and ward
councillors will work with GMP and GMFRS at local partnership development groups.
At a Greater Manchester level the Lead Member for Environment and Community
Safety attends the Greater Manchester Police and Crime panel meetings which are
held quarterly.
4.61 The council works with a variety of agencies through its Safeguarding Boards for
Children and for Adults. Lead Members or Executive support members attend the
quarterly meetings (duration of 2 hours), as non-voting participants.
30
Council size submission May 2018
4.62 The Council is represented on the Board of City Salford Community Stadium by the
Statutory Deputy City Mayor and the Lead Member for Environment and Community
Safety. The Stadium known as the AJ Bell Stadium provides an arena for sports,
events and conferences for businesses and communities across the North West.
4.63 The Lead Member for Environment and Community Safety sits on the Bridgewater
Canal Trust and is also part of a task and finish group along with one backbench
councillor from Labour and Conservative. The trust meet twice a year and formulate
the long and short-term policies for the amenity use of the Bridgewater Canal. All
income generated by the Bridgewater Canal from pleasure craft, fishing, drainage
and sales of water for cooling purposes etc. is used to maintain and improve the
Canal and its local environment.
4.64 Salford Members are also part of the Lowry Committee, three Labour members and
one Conservative.
4.65 At a local level the public is encouraged to get involved in discussion and decisions
made about their local area. Salford wards are grouped into eight neighbourhoods
and each neighbourhood holds a number of committees, or networks and groups,
according to the needs of local communities. The relevant ward councillors for a
neighbourhood take part in these meetings.
Neighbourhood Meetings
Claremont and Weaste – Community Committee, Budget sub group,
Claremont and Weaste and Seedley Highways Sub group and Local Partnership
Development Group (LPDG) all held bi-
monthly
East Salford – comprising Community Committee, Budget sub group,
Broughton, Irwell Riverside and Highways Sub group and LPDG all held bi-
Kersal monthly
Eccles – Barton, Winton and Eccles Budget and Highways sub group, LPDG all
held bi-monthly. Eccles Town Team
Eccles holds 3 community network events per
year as well as community committee
meetings. Network events can attract over 70
people and often up to 100.
Irlam and Cadishead Community Committee, Budget and Highways
sub group, LPDG and Regeneration Team all
held bi-monthly.
Little Hulton and Walkden - Little Budget sub group and LPDG held bi-monthly
Hulton, Walkden North and Walkden
South
Ordsall and Langworthy Community Committee, Budget sub group,
Highways Task group and Senior Partnership
Delivery Board all held bi-monthly
Swinton - Swinton South, Swinton Budget group, Highways Task group and
North, and Pendlebury LPDG all held bi-monthly. Heritage Task
Group 3-4 meetings per year. Swinton and
Pendlebury Community Network held as
31
Council size submission May 2018
Neighbourhood Meetings
required.
Worsley and Boothstown - Community Committee, Budget sub group, and
Worsley, and Boothstown and LPDG all held bi-monthly
Ellenbrook
Each Each meeting is 1.5 - 2 hours in length
4.66 Community committees and network events take place regularly, giving residents an
opportunity to find out what’s happening in their neighbourhood. By attending,
residents can meet their ward councillors, link in to local community and voluntary
groups, find out about local activities and meet service providers such as the police,
housing authorities and the Council. Ward councillors attend community committee
or network meetings for their area.
4.67 Community Committees work in a formal, structured setting with a chair and vice
chair. Network meetings operate more like a “market place” with stalls staffed by
groups or councillors and provide a more informal space for discussion.
4.68 All of the councillors who have been elected in the wards covered by each of
Salford’s Community Committees are appointed as voting Members of their
Community Committee. In addition, each of Salford’s Community Committees has
appointed representatives of community groups as non-voting co-opted members
who are entitled to make recommendations to the elected members of their
Community Committee. All meetings are held in public.
4.69 Each of the Council’s Community Committees has a devolved budget and is
responsible for making decisions in relation to this devolved budget.13 In 2017 to
2018, approximately £1.03 per head of the population is allocated to each
community committee where decisions are made on how the budget should be
spent. Each community committee elects a budget sub-group from among its
members. They assess applications and make recommendations about how the
funding should be spent. Budget sub-groups include local residents and local
councillors. They discuss ways in which the funding could best be used to improve
health outcomes for the local population. Recommendations are then taken to the
community committee for elected members to approve, refuse or request further
information in relation to funding applications. Budgets range from £20,200 to
£42,100 and the total allocation is £250,000.14
4.70 In addition to the community committee devolved budgets, a further £50,000 per
year funding for highways and transport improvements is devolved to each
community committee. This gives local people an opportunity to have a say on
highways improvements and road safety in their areas.
5 Scrutiny Functions
5.1 Overview and scrutiny committees are the main way by which the cabinet is held to
account in public for the services the council provides. They have an important role
in reviewing the authority's policies and other matters of more general concern and
making recommendations, either to the full council or to the cabinet on future policy
options. Overview and scrutiny can also influence the delivery of services of other
partner organisations.
5.2 Scrutiny is there as a critical friend, to review and help to develop council policies
and performance, to ensure that they have a positive impact on the people of Salford
as well as to call in and examine decisions of the Executive. The committees are
able to request independent research and expertise to help with their enquiries as
well as questioning members of the cabinet and chief officers about the decisions of
performance. The scrutiny process should provide members with more information
and help them to become more adept at investigating below the surface of policies
and strategies, consequently developing a range of skills.
5.3 The scrutiny committees meet monthly (except during the Council recess from 17
July to 20 August) and the meetings are around 2.5 to 3 hours in length. The
membership of scrutiny committees comprises elected members from all the political
parties, allocated to ensure political balance and can include co-opted members from
other interested groups with particular expertise.
5.4 Table 6 shows the number of members who attend the Overview and Scrutiny Board
and the four panels. The Overview and Scrutiny Board co-ordinates the work of the
scrutiny panels and scrutinises corporate services. The panels cover the remaining
council services (see Table 7).
5.5 The Overview and Scrutiny Board’s main role is holding Cabinet to account both
before and after decisions are made. The Board also has a role in policy challenge
and monitoring improvement plans. The Board does not just look at council matters
but has a role in scrutiny of external agencies. The Board also conducts a
programme of value for money scrutiny reviews and considers requests for scrutiny
reviews under the ‘Councillor Call for Action’ process (Crime and Disorder matters
are referred directly to the Community and Neighbourhoods Panel). The Board is
responsible for scrutinising overall budget matters and considers reports from the
Audit and Accounts committee.
5.6 The Scrutiny process requires a considerable amount of member and officer time
particularly as, in Salford, the Boards and panel conduct reviews. The Scrutiny board
and panels may request scrutiny reviews known as either spotlight reviews, which
are “deep dives” into a subject, or task and finish reviews which are longer and are
more in depth. Members work with officers on the reviews and report back to the
Board or relevant panel.
33
Council size submission May 2018
Committee Members
Overview and Scrutiny Board 11
Panels:
Children’s 12
Community and 12
Neighbourhoods
Growth and Prosperity 12
Health and Adults 12
5.7 When scrutinising committee decisions the Board or panels may request that Lead
Members attend and take questions on items, most often for complex issues.
5.8 Salford frequently reviews the work of overview and scrutiny to ensure that the
function is meeting its purpose of examining and providing assurance for services
and issues that affect the lives of people in Salford. The council has developed the
overview and scrutiny panels over the years, to improve the responsiveness and to
make a meaningful impact from reviews.
5.9 In early 2014, Salford City Council expressed an interest in being a 'pilot' for North
West Employers new scrutiny evaluation process, ‘Monitor’. Monitor was devised in
partnership with North West Employers and associate consultant Dr Stephanie
Snape to provide an assessment of a council's overview and scrutiny function, in
particular to ensure it is 'fit for purpose' given the current financial and policy
environment. The review was designed to support the Council in thinking about its
strategic approach to scrutiny and the potential impact that scrutiny can have on
supporting the achievement of key council objectives.
· To explore the nature of relationships between the executive side and scrutiny, in
order to make recommendations to achieve more productive relationships;
· To examine the officer side of scrutiny - both officer support to scrutiny and the
responsiveness of officers to scrutiny investigations and requests for information;
· To consider how scrutiny can operate most effectively within mayoral systems.
5.11 The council is currently in the process of evaluating the progress made on the review
and revitalising the recommendations, which includes workshops for members,
mentoring for Chairs and Vice Chairs and scrutiny workshops for key officers who
attend scrutiny.
34
Council size submission May 2018
6.2 The survey asked councillors how much time they spend on community obligations
(e.g. community committees/ community forums); engaging with constituents (e.g.
home visits, ward walk-abouts); and dealing with constituents (e.g.
enquiries/casework from and on behalf of constituents). The results from the survey
are included in Table 8 below.
Table 8 - Proportion of Councillors Spending Over 15 hours per months on different aspects of
community engagement
Proportion
over 15 hours
per month
Community obligations (e.g. community 18%
committees/ community forums)
6.3 The results show that, although reacting to enquiries and casework is an important
part of how councillors carry out their representational role, they also spend a
significant amount of time proactively engaging with their communities. There is an
increased expectation that councillors will attend a greater number of neighbourhood
meetings. Councillors attend the Community Committees described in Section 3.4,
but there are also lots more informal groups, such as residents’ groups, that
councillors are expected to attend, and additional groups that request significant
amounts of support from councillors on a more ad-hoc basis.
6.4 Councillors are also involved in community events. For example Eccles, Winton, and
Irlam and Cadishead all have major festivals each year. Other events include The
Pink Picnic, part of Salford’s Pride events, and the Big Day Out at the town hall.
Councillors are invited to attend and sometimes speak at these events.
6.5 In terms of casework, half of all councillors are required to manage a caseload of at
least 30 cases each month, with less than a third of councillors working on fewer
than 20 cases each month. There are no significant differences between cabinet
and non-cabinet members with regards the size of their caseloads, which requires
Lead Members to balance casework with their portfolio related work.
6.6 The councillors make themselves very accessible to the public through face to
surgeries, emails, telephone calls, social media etc. There is little direct support to
councillors in the management of their caseloads, however, they will liaise with
officers, neighbourhood teams, and other agencies such as housing, as is
appropriate.
36
Council size submission May 2018
6.7 The results from the survey reported very strongly that the way in which councillors
represents their communities has changed over time. As mentioned previously, just
less than 80% of councillors reported that the time they spend on council business
has increased over recent years. Around half of these respondents talked about
how the increased accessibility of the councillor had impacted on this. Technology
such as social media, mobile phones and emails, has enabled the public to engage
with their councillor, in a way that wasn’t previously possible. This is something that
the Council has strived to develop and encourage, however, it places additional
demands on the councillor’s time.
“As councillors we have made ourselves more accessible to our constituents via
Facebook etc. If you create a service it will be used!”
“Have to give more time to residents, more time on case work, the case work has
increased immeasurably.”
6.8 Of the 45 councillors who responded to the question, 78% said that they were
spending more, or significantly more time communicating with their constituents via
email, and 60% said that they were spending more, or significantly more time
communicating via social media. Very few people said that they were spending less
time communicating via any form of media.
6.9 Councillors also highlighted the impact that austerity has had on their constituents
and how that has resulted in additional workload for them. Over half of councillors
responding to the question, made reference to how the impact of austerity on the
public has increased the time they spend of council business in recent years.
“Issues related to cuts to budgets and austerity, eg increased crime, problems with
social care, increased fly tipping.”
“Austerity has significantly impacted Salford with us losing £198m (50%) of our
budget since 2010. each year the decisions we have to make get harder and
harder, the impact on communities becomes more and more visible and we are
seeing more residents get in touch to complain about budget decisions,
campaigning against consultations and decisions and this requires more time for
lead members and councillors, having to agree comms statements, press releases,
dealing with challenges over social media etc.”
6.10 Salford has a Youth Council and a Children’s Trust Board. The Lead Member for
Children’s and Young People’s Services chairs the Children’s Trust Board which
meets six times a year and is two hours long. The Board is young person lead and
focused, and has some joint priorities with the Safeguarding Board such as the Start
Well programme and Voice of the Child. It is a non-statutory Board. The majority of
Salford councillors are local authority appointed school governors.
37
Council size submission May 2018
Greater Manchester
7.1 There is £23billion of public spending in Greater Manchester which public sector
organisations want to control locally. The devolution deals already agreed are
progressing and drawing control to the region from central government. The Adult
Education is due to be transferred this year and control of Children’s Services,
Criminal Services and Housing monies is still to transfer. Greater control of public
money in the region will mean that Members have more to oversee and make
decisions on either through GMCA or as part of Scrutiny. New governance structures
may be required with the increased executive functions.
7.2 In the autumn budget the Chancellor announced that Greater Manchester would be
provided with an allocation of £243 million over four years as part of the
Transforming Cities Fund. This funding will provide Greater Manchester with the
flexibility to make strategic decisions on the priority transport projects, and help to
improve connectivity and reduce congestion in the region.
7.3 As part of the agreement, the Government will also invest £28m in Housing First
pilots in three areas across England, one of which will be in Greater Manchester.
This will support rough sleepers with the most complex needs to turn their lives
around.
7.5 A new Greater Manchester Strategy was launched in October 2017 which sets out a
set of clear priorities for the region, including:
7.6 Called ‘Our People, Our Place’, the new Greater Manchester Strategy is a long term
blueprint for the future of the 2.8m people who make up the region.
7.7 The plan looks at 10 priority areas which affect all Greater Manchester residents and
details how life will be improved for all who live in the city-region, from being ready
for school, to starting work and growing old, as well as everything else in between.
7.8 Salford is part of the Combined Authority which will deliver against these priorities.
38
Council size submission May 2018
7.9 Salford’s rapid rate of growth is expected to continue, with the current pipeline of
development forecasted to bring a further £3.9 billion of private sector investment
over the next eight years; creating up to 40,000 new jobs and 40,000 new homes by
2040 (1,800 more homes year on year to 2040).15
7.10 The second phase of development in Salford Central, which is expected to bring a
further £2.2 million a year in extra revenue. £200 million of capital investment will be
made over the next 25 years to develop 352,000 square feet of new office space at
100 Greengate and Two New Bailey; creating an extra 3,000 jobs.
7.12 The launch of the Council’s own ethical housing development company (Dérive Ltd)
as the first step towards building the city’s first council houses in decades. With £2
million already set aside, and more to come, this is a serious commitment to build the
truly affordable housing Salford so desperately needs.
7.13 As has been discussed previously, working with businesses already in the city and
encouraging new businesses to move to the city is increasingly a part of senior
members’ time.
7.14 Salford City Council’s forthcoming inclusive economic growth and place making
strategy will set out a clear framework for attracting investment and delivering new
jobs and opportunities over the next few years. It is important that residents are
connected to the opportunities generated through this growth and that the Council
uses its influence to work with employers who are committed to giving something
back in return – those who offer local jobs, look after their employees and pay them
well.
7.15 More than 100 employers have signed up to the City Mayor’s Employment Charter
that encourages Salford based organisations to improve pay and conditions and
ensure more local people benefit from local employment and training opportunities.
7.16 The City Council works with businesses such as Peel Land and Property, on
expansion of MediaCityUK, with further investment of up to £1 billion secured to
double its size by 2030. This will provide even more high skilled, high paid jobs in
what is already one of the leading digital, creative and technology clusters in Europe.
7.17 The council is a partner of the Landing which is Salford’s super accelerator for digital
businesses and a major asset in supporting innovation, business growth and
collaboration amongst digital SMEs in the region.
7.18 Salford has a clear ambition to become a Digital City and is strongly committed to
ensuring everyone gets the most out of digital technology. As part of the city’s Digital
Everyone Plan, the Council has linked up with Barclays to create the pioneering
Digital Eagles programme to create a network of digital champions across the city.
The Council is working closely with the Good Things Foundation to get almost 8,000
of the city’s most vulnerable and digitally excluded residents online and confident
about using technology within the next two years.
7.19 The City Council and Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) share the long term
goals of achieving better health outcomes for local residents, reducing health
inequalities and delivering the Locality Plan ambitions of enabling people to Start
Well, Live Well and Age Well. Salford City Council has been working jointly with
Salford CCG to develop options for closer working, including shared commissioning
decisions and arrangements including the integration of commissioning budgets for
the totality of health and social care in Salford. Therefore, Salford City Council
Cabinet and NHS Salford CCG Governing Body have agreed to build on the strong
integration and partnership working arrangements already in place between the two
organisations and have agreed in principle to create a new, single commissioning
function for health and social care. This will facilitate councillors and local GPs to be
able to make decisions about health and social care in the city together.
7.20 As the Council takes on greater responsibility with regards health and social care,
the demands on councillors will also increase. Organisations such as the Integrated
Care Organisation requires an equal number of councillors as health care
professionals for governance purposes, and the Integrated Commissioning Joint
Committee is co-chaired by the Statutory Deputy Mayor, alongside a health
professional, and is also attended by a number of other cabinet members.
7.21 As integrated commissioning expands, these roles will demand more time and will
require commitment from a greater number of councillors. For example there will
also be a more significant remit around the scrutiny of health services when the
Council shares responsibility for commissioning and procurement. New and
additional scrutiny procedures will need to be developed to meet this need.
7.22 North West Employers has worked with Birmingham University on a research project
examining what the 21st Century Councillor should look like. The report examines
what councillors’ roles will be in the future in terms of the demands on councillors,
the skills and attitudes they will need and how their support will need to
change. Salford City Council is using the ethos of the 21st century councillor,
outlined in the report, as good practice to develop the role and support to councillors
in Salford. Members have committed to obtaining the Member Development Charter
from North West employers and will be actively involved in the development and
delivery of the work.
40
Council size submission May 2018
7.23 The 21st Century Councillor report outlines the changing demands on councillors due
to the ongoing effects of austerity and changing expectations from the electorate, for
example due to technological change. The report identified the increased need for
community leadership from councillors, highlighting roles such as steward of place
(partnership working in the locality) and sensemaker (translating a shift in the role of
public services and between institutions and citizens).
7.24 The report comments that councillors are strongly rooted in their wards and localities.
It goes on to say that “the pressure to integrate services, and to work at a regional
level within combined authorities, is changing the scale of pace and challenging local
identities. At the same time, the increasing diversity within services – delivered by a
much wider range of partners – is challenging their ability to act as stewards of their
places.”
41
Council size submission May 2018
8.2 The city of Salford has transformed from its industrial past and has seen exceptional
levels of growth and investment in its city centre, the Quays and Media City, and the
Greater Manchester Western Gateway. However, this has required exceptional
levels of commitment from members of the Cabinet, and backbench councillors, in
order to attract and manage such significant developments.
8.3 In contrast to many other Local Authorities, Salford operates with a City Mayor who
has overall responsibility for the delivery of council services. However he exercises
his authority in a collegiate way and key decisions are taken by the City Mayor in
consultation with the Cabinet. The City Mayor chairs the Cabinet, which consists of
two Deputy City Mayors, and seven Lead Members. The City Mayor delegates much
authority and expenditure decisions to the Cabinet. This approach stems in part
from a political desire to truly democratise the approach to decision making, but also
from necessity due to additional demands placed on the whole Council as a result of
the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, devolution and the integration of health
and social care.
8.4 The opportunities that devolution and integration bring are exciting, but also bring
with them significant challenges. Salford member’s involvement in meetings such as
the Greater Manchester Planning and Housing Commission, or Greater Manchester
Police and Crime Panel, means that Salford is able to shape and influence significant
budgets that have been devolved to Greater Manchester, however, this adds to an
already pressured workload.
8.5 Equally, as the integration of health and social care progresses, it will provide
opportunity for much improved outcomes for Salford residents, but will require a sea
change in the role of the council as it shares the responsibility for a substantial
increase in commissioning and procurement. This in turn will require a substantial
increase in functions such as scrutiny, which will be carried out by members. In the
coming years, as the council goes through this transition, there will be considerable
demands placed on cabinet and backbench councillors, as the council simply plans
and develops these new ways of working.
8.6 Regulatory requirements already place a substantial workload on the councillor, with
much of the decision making authority delegated to Lead Members, and a
requirement for backbench councillors to also support the processes. Although
these processes can be onerous, councillor involvement in making key decisions and
regulatory processes, ensures that residents are connected to the opportunities and
developments, through their democratically elected representatives.
42
Council size submission May 2018
8.7 Through the 21st Century Councillor programme, Salford is striving to build and
develop the role of the councillor as a community leader. The role of the councillor is
changing. The survey and journal entries showed that austerity has transformed
both the council itself, but also the lives of constituents, and the role of the councillor
is adapting to the changing landscape. Councillors must work with growing numbers
of community groups, to facilitate and support people to work alongside the council in
a co-productive way, as traditional service delivery is forced to be cut back. One in
five councillors, rising to one in four for Cabinet members, are spending at least 15
hours each month solely attending meetings such as community committees and
forums. At the same time, councillors must support their constituents with growing
numbers of issues arising from the impact of austerity, such as changes to the
benefit system, housing and rents, and issues with employment. Over half of the
councillors who took part in the survey said that austerity had caused an increase in
their workload over recent years; the 21st Century Councillor refers to this as ‘perma-
austerity’. The survey demonstrated that half of all councillors are working on at
least 30 cases each month, and for a third of councillors this equates to over 20
hours every month.
8.8 The changing way in which constituents communicate with councillors has also
contributed to an increased workload. Councillors have become more available to
constituents through email and social media, increasing the demand placed on
councillors. As Salford’s young population continues to grow, this demand is only
going to increase.
8.9 Salford City Council has, and will continue to work hard to improve and enrich
the lives of people living in Salford. This submission has described some of
the significant developments that the Council has achieved through a long
history of partnership working with other public sector organisations, with the
VCSE sector, with businesses, and with the people of Salford. For the Council
to continue to make improvements, while facing the challenges of austerity
and a rising population, and whilst navigating devolution and integration, the
council recommends that the size of the Council should remain at 60
councillors across 20 wards (3 members per ward).
43
Council size submission May 2018
44
Local Government Boundary Review Councillor Survey
* 1. Name:
* 2. How long have you been a Councillor with Salford City Council?
1 to 5 years 16 to 20 years
11 to 15 years
* 3. In addition to your role as a councillor, what other position(s) do you hold within the Council?
Lead Member
Executive Support
Scrutiny Chair
Committee Chair
None
1
* 4. Of which of the following are you a member?
Audit and Accounts Committee Licensing and Safety Regulatory Panel (Taxis)
Community and Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Panel Planning and Transportation Regulatory Panel
* 5. Have you been appointed by the Council to any outside bodies e.g. school governor, supporting Greater
Manchester Combined Authority?
Yes
No
2
Local Government Boundary Review Councillor Survey
* 6. You said you have been appointed by the Council to outside bodies – Please list the organisation(s) and
role(s).
1 to 5 31 to 35
6 to 10 36 to 40
11 to 15 41 to 45
16 to 20 46 to 50
21 to 25 Over 50
26 to 30
8. How do you deal with your ward casework and what support do you receive?
3
Local Government Boundary Review Councillor Survey
* 9. On average, how many hours per month do you spend on council (and political) business?
Attendance at Council
Committees
Attendance at other
Council meetings
Attendance at external
meetings (non-GM)
where you have been
appointed a
representative by the
Council
Attendance at external
meetings supporting the
GM agenda
Community obligations
e.g. community
committees/ community
forums
Engaging with
constituents
4
0 hours 1 to 5 hours 6 to 10 hours 11 to 15 hours 16 to 20 hours Over 20 hours
e.g. enquiries/casework
from and on behalf of
constituents
Attending workshops,
training, conferences
Travel related to
Councillor business
* 10. Is the time you spend on council business what you expected when you became a councillor?
Yes
* 11. Has the time you spend on council business changed over recent years?
No
5
Local Government Boundary Review Councillor Survey
* 12. You said that the time you spend on Council business has changed, what do you think the reason is for
this?
* 13. What aspect of your duties (council business and/or within the community) has changed the most over
recent years?
* 14. What percentage of your time do you spend communicating with constituents?
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Face to face
Telephone
Text
Letter
Social media
Newsletters
Meetings
6
* 15. Have you noticed any significant change in the amount of time you spend communicating via each of
these methods in the last 12 months?
Spending Spending
significantly more significantly less
time Spending more time Spending less time time No change
Face to face
Telephone
Text
Letter
Social media
Newsletters
Meetings
* 16. Do you feel that the balance above is right for you to communicate effectively with your constituents?
Yes
No
7
Local Government Boundary Review Councillor Survey
Anything else?
17. Is there anything else about your experience as a Salford Councillor that might be relevant to the
council’s submission on council size?
8
Local Government Boundary Review Councillor Survey
As part of the submission to the Local Government Boundary Commission, information will be
included regarding the extent to which councillors reflect the diversity of our communities. You are
not required to complete this section and please note that this information will be collated
separately from your survey responses, however, by providing this information you will assist the
Council to provide as much information as possible to the LGBCE.
19. Do you identify with the gender you were assigned at birth? (e.g. male or female)
Yes
No
18 to 24 years 55 to 64 years
25 to 34 years 65 to 74 years
35 to 44 years 75 or older
45 to 54 years
9
22. Do you consider yourself to be a disabled person?
Yes
No
Please use this space if you would like to give more information
Bi-sexual
Yes
No
Sikh
10
Council size submission May 2018
1
Forecasting Technical Report - Council size submission May 2018
1 Introduction .....................................................................................................................3
3 Methodology ...................................................................................................................4
4 Calculations ....................................................................................................................6
6 Checks ...........................................................................................................................8
Appendices ..........................................................................................................................10
2
Forecasting Technical Report - Council size submission May 2018
1 Introduction
This paper sets out the background and methodology used to project the electorate
within Salford to support the ward boundary review.
Salford is a growing city. Following decades of population decline, the turn of the
century saw a reversal with an average annual growth of 1% since 2002. The city’s
population now stands at almost a quarter of a million people, the largest number
since the 1970s. Population growth has gone hand-in-hand with economic growth.
Many of the new residents have settled in the East of the city, around the
regeneration of Salford Quays within the Ordsall ward and taking advantage of its
proximity to Manchester City Centre. Much of the new housing development in and
around the Quays has been in the form of high rise apartment buildings providing
accommodation for young professional couples and singles, many of whom are
recent graduates from one of the three universities in Central Manchester. Virtually
all of the recent population growth is associated with young adults.
This asymmetric growth in the population of the city, in terms of both age and
geography, has lead to the need for a new approach to projection the future
population at the level of wards. Salford City Council previously relied solely on the
Office for National Statistics (ONS) sub-national population projections1 (SNPP),
which it apportioned across wards based on the latest population size and age
structure. This approach was sufficient during periods of low and relatively uniform
growth, however it has become increasingly less valid in recent years.
This was not the only issue identified locally with the reliance on the SNPP. The
approach taken by the ONS uses current population along with assumptions about
fertility, mortality and migration. These assumptions are based on recent trends and
the methodology is applied across all areas in England with the sum total for all
districts constrained to the national projection figure. The growth in Salford is atypical
for several reasons; firstly it is concentrated in a relatively small geographical area
and secondly it differs from historic trends in terms of both scale and demographics.
Further, the SNPP approach does not incorporate expected future housing growth in
the model. Given the extensive and continued level of development around Ordsall it
was acknowledged locally that past trends would not adequately predict the
magnitude of future growth.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojectio
ns/datasets/localauthoritiesinenglandtable2
3
Forecasting Technical Report - Council size submission May 2018
1.6
260 1.4
Percentage Growth
1.2
250 1.0
Population
0.8
240 0.6
0.4
230 0.2
0.0
220
-0.2
-0.4
210
Mid Year Estimate Census 2012-based SNPP 2014-based SNPP Mid Year Estimate 2012-based SNPP 2014-based SNPP
3 Methodology
In 2017, prior to the triggering of the boundary review, Salford City Council identified
a need for a more sophisticated approach to population forecasting to better account
for the rapidly changing demographic profile of the city. Following a review of
available options in 2017 the authority invested in POPGROUP2.
This software has enabled Salford to better understand how much the population is
likely to grow in future years, while better quality local data has allowed us to
estimate where, and understand how. By including the very latest data on housing
developments, which has been the key driver of Salford recent growth, we can give a
more detailed, informed and contemporary picture of the local and future population
of the city overall and the different areas of the city.
2 http://www.edgeanalytics.co.uk/popgroup.php
4
Forecasting Technical Report - Council size submission May 2018
By employing the same ‘cohort component’ model used by ONS for the biennial sub-
national population projections POPGROUP allows users to specify the population
that is being forecast, to adjust the components of change (births, deaths, migration)
based on local knowledge. Examples of why these may differ across a local authority
include, large student populations that have lower fertility rates than other residents
of similar age (fewer births); new housing development comprising 3 and 4 bedroom
houses on brownfield site (higher inward migration of families); demolition of 1960s
tower blocks (higher outward migration).
The diagram below shows a simplified picture of how this model works. For each
age/sex group the change due to deaths and migration (inward and outward) are
calculated, everyone remaining is aged by one year then births are added based on
the fertility rate of women of child-bearing age in the area, to give the new
population. The only exception to this are the “special populations” such as prisoners
and students, a large proportion of whom are replaced by different people of a similar
age the following year. This new population then becomes the starting point and the
process is repeated for each subsequent year in turn.
The inputs and calculations within POPGROUP are the same as that used by the
ONS to produce the SNPP, the differences are in scale and flexibility.
Specifically, rates of future births, deaths and most relevantly migration can be
adjusted to reflect local knowledge. In Salford we have adjusted the migration levels
in local areas to account for new housing developments and internal movement, and
fertility rates to account for different populations and family size.
Salford’s model uses a range of data sources, both published and administrative.
This model accounts for current and future housing development, variations in fertility
rates, increased life expectancy and internal flows of people across the city.
5
Forecasting Technical Report - Council size submission May 2018
4 Calculations
POPGROUP allows for up to 40 geographical subdivisions in the calculations.
Salford’s forecasting model uses all of this capability with the 40 areas built up from
administrative data areas. To best capture the different population dynamics across
the city the areas were created to maximise homogeneity with larger geographical
areas in those parts of the city with stable populations and smaller areas i.e. more
subdivisions in the areas of high growth and greatest flux.
Data from the model can be recombined into a range of different geographies. For
the purpose of the Ward Boundary Review the principle unit is the polling district.
6
Forecasting Technical Report - Council size submission May 2018
Internal migration: Whilst growth in the East of the city has been the biggest driver of
demographic change it is not the only one. Use of administrative data (including
council tax, child health data, school census) a pattern of westward migration has
been evidenced. Some of this migration has resulted in families leaving Salford and
settling in neighbouring boroughs, whilst other families have moved to the more
suburban wards within Salford.
Increased life expectancy: There is a great deal of variation in the life expectancy of
people in Salford. A two mile stretch of the Bridgewater canal sees life expectancy
for women decline from an average 84.8 years in Worsley Green to 73.8 years in
Patricroft. However life expectancy across the city has risen for men and women.
One result of this is fewer deaths and an ageing population. This affects the figures
for one of the other components of change, mortality. Through access to the Primary
Care Mortality Database we are able to track changes to mortality rates and life
expectancy at a local level.
3 https://map.salford.gov.uk/maps/helaa/
7
Forecasting Technical Report - Council size submission May 2018
Fertility rates: There is considerable variation in fertility rates across the city. For
example in Higher Broughton the general fertility rate (GFR) for 2016 was 164 per
1,000 women aged 15-44, compared to a rate of 13 per 1,000 in the similar sized
Chapel Street / Blackfriars area of central Salford, a short distance away. This lower
birth rate is more representative of the incoming population around Ordsall. National
evidence from MOSAIC shows these households are having fewer children, typically
later in life, with the majority moving to more suburban homes to start families. This
is also supported by local data showing patterns of maternities, births and finally
school place registration, which supports westward migration of families with young
children. The model uses birth data to calculate local fertility rates and trends, which
in turn are used to calculate projections of future births.
Voter registration rates: To turn the population forecasting into electorate forecasting
Salford has looked in detail at the electoral roll, and the trends in registration within
different groups in Salford. This has been done at household level to ensure the
integrity of the data, and to uncover variations by age, area, and socio-demographic
group. The model applies what we know about registration rates to the population
forecasts in order to estimate the number of voters from the adult population in 2024.
6 Checks
Quality assurance is vital to ensuring the projections produced by the Salford model
meet the objective of providing a reliable picture of the city over the forthcoming years.
The outputs from the model will be revised regularly as new input data is made
available. Comparisons have been made to experimental population estimates4
produced the ONS based on administrative data sources. The increased growth
estimated by the Salford model is corroborated by these. The forecast outputs have
also been compared to other datasets, including local pupil place planning projections,
council tax, and the electoral roll. These provide support for the estimated level of
internal movement.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/census/censustransformationprogramme/administrativedatacensusproject/
methodology/methodologyofstatisticalpopulationdatasetv20
8
Forecasting Technical Report - Council size submission May 2018
9
Forecasting Technical Report - Council size submission May 2018
Appendices
10
Forecasting Technical Report - Council size submission May 2018
The electorate and the population aged 18 and over are mapped to illustrate the
concentration of more populated wards in central Salford (Map 2), compared to the
wards with higher numbers of electorate (Map 3), and the total population by ward
(Map 4).
11
Forecasting Technical Report - Council size submission May 2018
Figure 3 shows the variance from the city’s ward average (shown by a magenta line)
for Salford’s electorate at 2017 with the darker shades of green/ brown indicating
where a significant level of variance occurs.
Electoral imbalance exists in four wards, two with variance that is more than 10%
above average (Ordsall 41.5%, Broughton 13.7%) and two which are 10% below
average (Irlam -21.0%, Boothstown & Ellenbrook -13.6%).
The current ward of Ordsall has the greatest variance from the average electorate in
2017 and as such meets the definition of 30% variance from average set out by the
Boundary Commission.
12
Forecasting Technical Report - Council size submission May 2018
Map 5 shows the variance from the city’s ward average for Salford’s electorate at
2017 with the darker shades of green/ brown indicating where a significant level of
variance occurs. Wards with a number of electors that is significantly above the ward
average (green) tend to be in Central Salford, while wards with a number of electors
that is significantly below the ward average (brown) tend to be in West Salford.
13
Forecasting Technical Report - Council size submission May 2018
14
Forecasting Technical Report - Council size submission May 2018
The average 2024 ward population for all ages is estimated at 14,768 and the ward
average for those aged 18 and over is 11,658. The average ward size of the
electorate by 2024 is 10,124 based on the current 20 wards.
The ward distribution of the population aged 18 and over and the expected
electorate at 2024 are illustrated in Map 6 and Map 7, highlighting that wards around
the city centre have the highest number of adult population and electors.
15
Forecasting Technical Report - Council size submission May 2018
16
Forecasting Technical Report - Council size submission May 2018
Map 8 shows the variance from the city’s ward average for Salford’s electorate at
2024 with the darker shades of green/ brown indicating where a significant level of
variance occurs. Wards with a number of electors that is significantly above the ward
average (green) tend to be in Central Salford, while wards with a number of electors
that is significantly below the ward average (brown) are mostly in West Salford.
17
Forecasting Technical Report - Council size submission May 2018
Table 4: Published electorate by polling district in 2017 and estimate for 2024
Ward Electoral Population Published Adult Electorate
District aged 18+ electorate population 2024
(ED) 2017 2017 (age 18+)
2024
Barton No 1 DA 987 897 1,030 940
Barton No 2 DB 2,801 2,654 3,033 2,639
Barton No 3 DC 1,885 1,611 1,993 1,666
Barton No 4 DD 1,707 1,560 1,817 1,542
Barton No 5 DE 1,281 1,159 1,336 1,172
Barton No 6 DF 489 420 510 459
Barton No 7 DG 1,064 857 1,276 1,039
Barton 10,214 9,158 10,995 9,457
18
Forecasting Technical Report - Council size submission May 2018
19
Forecasting Technical Report - Council size submission May 2018
20
Forecasting Technical Report - Council size submission May 2018
21
Forecasting Technical Report - Council size submission May 2018
22
Forecasting Technical Report - Council size submission May 2018
The majority of schemes that are expected to be delivered during 2017-2024 have
already been given permission, with most of these under construction. There were
just over 8,000 dwellings under construction as of April 2017, and these have been
given the expected completion date as the end of 2019. There are just under 8,000
others with full permission, with these given an expected completion date as the end
of 2021. As of April 2018, the total amount of other allocations that did not have full
permission but are outlined as potential developments before 2022 was just under
4,000. It is expected that over the coming years, this will fall into line with the
previous biannual totals of around 8,000, as more developments currently outlined
for 2022-24 are given full permission.
23
Forecasting Technical Report - Council size submission May 2018
Table 5: Residential pipeline housing schemes 2017-2024, Source: Salford City Council, 2018
Ward By 2019 By 2021 By 2023
Barton 92 61 3
Boothstown & Ellenbrook 1 113 32
Broughton 197 40 -
Cadishead 8 13 8
Claremont 14 6 72
Eccles 126 202 -
Irlam - 10 -
Irwell Riverside 1,277 1,174 80
Kersal 29 51 -
Langworthy 131 6 282
Little Hulton - 171 55
Ordsall 5,761 5,658 2,673
Pendlebury 129 96 148
Swinton North 22 3 8
Swinton South 12 11 100
Walkden North 89 2 316
Walkden South 344 124 24
Weaste & Seedley 41 185 20
Winton - 12 49
Worsley 5 34 -
SALFORD 8,278 7,972 3,870
24