To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Allonby and Rowbotham.

Members are required to declare any disclosable pecuniary, personal or personal and prejudicial interests they may have and the nature of those interests relating to items on this agenda and/or indicate if S106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 applies to them.

There were no declarations of interest received.

To determine any items on the agenda, if any, where the public are to be excluded from the meeting.

There were no items for the exclusion of press and public.

To consider the minutes of the Middleton Township Committee meeting held on Thursday 22 June 2023.

Resolved:
That the Minutes of the Middleton Township Committee meeting held on 22 June 2023 be approved as a correct record.

To consider objections to proposed Traffic Order – Prohibition of Waiting, Nowell Rise & Nowell Road, Middleton.

The Chair informed the Township Committee that further information was required before this item could be considered.

Resolved:
That consideration of this item be deferred to the next meeting of Middleton Township Committee on 16 November 2023 pending further information from Highways.

Half an hour has been set aside for members of the public to raise any issues relevant to the business of the Committee and the Township.

The following matters were raised as part of the Open Forum:

a)    Middleton Township Committee Minutes

In response to representations made by Mr. Linden with regard to how questions were minuted in the Township Open Forum, it was advised that a written response from the Head of Governance had been sent to Mr Linden, which advised that Minutes of Township Committee meetings were statutory executive decision notices in accordance with the LGA 2000, as amended by the Executive Arrangements regulations 2012. Committee Services Officers would continue to note the general enquiries as part of the open forum, focusing on the statutory requirements in relation to the delegated executive authority of Township Committees.

b)    Open Forum Timings and Area Forums

Mr. Shore and Mr. Linden submitted questions in relation to the time allocated to the Township Committee open forum. The Chair advised that the open forum is not an opportunity for the public to engage in debate with Members, and that Middleton Township Committee consistently allowed individuals to submit more than one question, as well as additional time for those to be submitted. Both residents further raised concerns in relation to a lack of Area Forums in the Middleton Township. The Chair advised that there were other ways for residents to engage with Members throughout the year such as through the contact details available on the Council website.

c)    Langley Community Benefits Society CIC

The Committee were informed that a question had been submitted by Mr. Morris in relation to whether Langley Community Benefits Society (LCBS) CIC own the Pavilion at Bowlee Park or rent it from Rochdale Borough Council. Councillor S. Smith advised that LBCS CIC did not own or rent the Pavillion from the Council.

d)    Youth Services in Langley

A question was submitted by Ms. Murphy which raised concerns in relation to a lack of youth services in the Langley area. The Senior Youth Officer informed Ms Murphy of the resources that were available in Middleton for youth services and advised that a separate meeting to discuss residents’ concerns could be arranged.

e)    Mainway Field Play Area

Ms. Simms submitted a question in relation to why a decision had not been made in regard to plans for a new play park area on Mainway Field in Alkrington. The Specialist Services and Development Manager advised that an options appraisal would be submitted for Members to consider in due course.

f)     Greater Manchester Police (GMP) Recruitment

In relation to a query received from Mr. Wynne, Insp J Partington informed the Township Committee that there was one sergeant, three neighbourhood beat officers, and seven police community support officers (PCSOs) that covered the Middleton area. Recruitment was ongoing for a further two neighbourhood beat officers, however Middleton currently had two additional PCSOs as normally there would be 5 (one per ward).

To consider a report and a presentation of Public Health representatives.

The Township Committee received a presentation of the Public Health Development Manager which summarised a new model to deliver advice in the Rochdale Borough from 1 October 2023.

Following a Welfare Advice Review in June 2022, it was concluded that there was a growing need for high quality welfare advice to residents in local communities. The report included a detailed literature and statistical review, interviews with key welfare advice partners, consultation with residents and a cost benefit analysis of different models of delivery.

Members were informed that the new township-based advice model would be a hybrid system that enabled residents to find solutions to problems around benefits, indebtedness, employment, health and wellbeing, housing, and equality, amongst a range of other issues that had become more prevalent since the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis.

The proposed model had a budgeted cost of £250,000 which had been secured from Public Health core funding.

The hybrid offering meant that some aspects of the service would be delivered ‘in-house’, some would be delivered by an external specialist service, and some would be delivered by the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector.

Citizens Advice would act as the system leader and training would be offered to ensure that advisors were appropriately skilled with up-to-date knowledge to provide quality assurance. Citizens Advice would also continue their borough-wide phone and digital service Adviceline.

Current resources such as the Council Customer Services Team and Living Well’s Community Champions would also be better utilised to offer more advice support in the Middleton Township; this would be provided both remotely (over the phone and the internet) and face-to-face in accessible community facilities.

The Public Health Development Manager noted that there were currently seven members of staff employed with experience in helping residents to resolve welfare advice issues and signpost them to other support services.

There would be at least two new venues in each of the borough’s five townships where residents could access face-to-face welfare and other advice. For Middleton Township, the venues would be Middleton Library and the newly established Langley Family Hub on Windermere Road where slots would be offered to residents on an appointment and drop-in basis.

By co-locating the Customer Services Team with partners at Middleton Library and Langley Family Hub - where the Work and Skills Team and Citizens Advice hosted drop in sessions - it was hoped that a number of ‘gateways’ would be created. Gateways would be places where residents could access more than one service and be referred on to other organisations for support.

Funding from the budget had also been allocated from April 2024 to support VCSE sector organisations that already provided face-to-face advice in communities.

Members raised their concerns in relation to vouchers that were available for residents through the Household Support Fund and the need for the process to be more time efficient for those with financial issues.

Members of the public that were present suggested that outreach work be completed on regular basis in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

To consider the appointment for Middleton Township for 2023/2024.

Consideration was given to a report of Committee Services which requested that Members confirmed an appointment to the Road Safety Group for 2023/24. The Road Safety Group would allow delegated Members to discuss and raise issues or concerns about road safety in the Rochdale Borough with Council Officers.

Alternatives considered:
The Township Committee could decide not to appoint any Members to the Road Safety Group.

Resolved:
That Councillor June West be appointed to the Road Safety Group for 2023/24 as representative for Middleton Township.

Reasons for the decision:
The Council has established and appoints Township Committees that may exercise both executive and non-executive powers as set out in the Responsibility for Council Functions in Part 3 of the Constitution. This states that: ‘appointments to Township Sub-Committees, Township Working Parties, Partnership Arrangements and Local Outside Bodies shall be made at the first meeting of the appropriate Township Committee in the new Municipal Year’.