We sought your views on the School Street trial at St Thomas’s CofE Primary School in Heaton Chapel around: whether or not it should continue as a permanent scheme; views on how it operated; and what changes respondents would like to see if it became permanent.
There were a total of 265 responses. 119 parents/guardians indicated that they would like the scheme to continue unchanged with 10 responding that they would not. 19 residents who were permit holders (not parents/guardians) indicated that they would like the scheme to continue unchanged, with 3 seeking changes and 13 against its continuation. Of residents in the wider neighbourhood, 61 respondents indicated that they would be happy to see the School Street continue, 6 sought changes and 20 were against.
The key suggestions arising from the consultation were:
The consultation comments and analysis have been shared with the Ward Councillors who have agreed that the scheme should continue. Changes suggested will be explored further and may be progressed should funding become available.
This consultation had 17 responses. 88.2% of respondents were in favour of the introducing the 3-year PSPO.
Those who agreed with the proposal stated protestors were intimidating and aggressive to staff. Further comments were made regarding the effect on the wider public, including “One Stockport Hub is a family friendly environment and the aggressive nature of the protests deterred residents from visiting, both for vaccinations and to use the space with their families”, and another saying that the E-PSPO “was very effective in minimising distress to staff and members of the public.”
The respondents who were both for and against the proposal commented on the right to peaceful protest, and safeguarding staff against intimidation.
Those who did not agree with the proposal questioned whether it was needed for a further three years, given that the intimidating and aggressive behaviour outside the clinics is vastly reduced.
We asked for the views of Hawk Green residents who live adjacent to the village green on a proposal to install a picnic bench and memorial plaque as part of the Council’s COVID Community Commemoration Fund project. Preferences between three possible locations for the bench were sought, with the option also to reject the proposal.
A total of 44 responses were received.
27 respondents (61%) rejected the proposal and 17 (39%) were in favour.
Reasons given
In the main, the objections submitted related to the potential for an increase in anti-social behaviour and litter on the green and an increase in local traffic congestion.
Preferred location
Of those in favour of the installation (17):
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In response to the feedback received, a picnic table will not be installed. Instead, a planter and plaque will be installed. In line with your feedback the planter will be located adjacent to Hawk Green Road, near The Crown public house. |
We asked for the views of residents and commuters on the trial Road Closure of Hartington Road to Park Road.
Stockport Council is currently analysing all consultation responses received regarding the Hartington Road Trial Road Closure – thank you for your engagement.
The results from this consultation will be presented at a future Marple Area Committee. Please use the following link to view the Council’s monthly meetings calendar: Monthly meetings calendar - April 2023 - Stockport Council. This page will be updated when the report is ready to be presented.
We sought your views on the Regulation 16 version of the Marple Neighbourhood Plan as part of a six-week public consultation. A series of questions were asked on its content to see how far you agreed or disagreed with each section and whether you would do anything differently.
There were a total of 19 responses to the online survey. Most were in agreement with the Plan with particular support for policies on the protection of indoor community spaces, open spaces, historic assets and spaces for coworking. The key themes arising from the survey in relation to specific chapters include the following:
Areas suggested for improvement include the need to for the Plan to consider children and young people, use the most up-to-date data, and to address the impact of the pandemic on commuting and working patterns.
The consultation comments have been shared with Marple Neighbourhood Forum who will decide whether any minor modifications should be made. The Plan will be subject to an independent Examination later this year and if successful, will be brought forward for a Referendum.
We asked you to review the JSNA (Joint strategic needs assessment) analysis and report into Mental Health and Wellbeing, asking for your comments and for any additional information that should be considered.
Those who responded felt that on balance the report reflected their views and knowledge of this issue for Stockport and no-one disagreed with the findings. Respondents commented on the impact of shorter working weeks and housing on wellbeing. Respondents also highlighted what they should be the emerging priorities as the result of the report.
We discussed the findings with those who are developing Stockport’s Mental Health and Wellbeing strategy and the JSNA and Strategy have now been finalised. The JSNA will be published on www.stockportjsna.org.uk once IT upgrades have been completed.
We asked for your views on the potential implementation of Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) and associated signage and implementation of dropped kerbs with tactile paving; as part of a Road Safety around Schools scheme to support the Council’s overall strategic ambition to increase the number of children walking or cycling to school.
A total of 81 responses were received with an equal split of 44% respondents supporting /against the proposals. 33 respondents strongly disagreed with the proposals, all of whom commented on the proposed parking restrictions. whilst 25 respondents that strongly agreed with the proposals some felt that the proposed restrictions don’t go far enough.
In response to the feedback received, the proposed restrictions on Clough Meadow and Northdown Avenue will be reduced. The consultation responses have been reviewed and analysed and will be discussed with ward members. This may lead to a reduction in the extent of parking restrictions proposed.
What happens next?
A meeting is proposed to discuss changes and amendments to the scheme will be carried out before the proposed scheme and report is presented to the Werneth Area Committee in April 2023, alternatively June 2023. If approved to continue with changes the TROs are expected to be advertised in late spring/summer 2023
We asked for the views of those who live and work in Stockport on the Council’s proposal to close St Mary’s RC school.
Given the strength of consultation feedback and the position taken by the Diocese of Salford and their Trustees of the Emmaus Trust further time is sought before a decision is made on the closure of the school.
A pause will allow time for the Trustees to fully consider the feedback from consultation and establish a final position as to whether the school should be converted into their Trust.
The decision is to pause considerations of discontinuance until June 2023 at which point, should it be necessary, a further officer decision will be taken regarding the progress of the discontinuance process.
We asked for your views on the Expedited Public Spaces Protection Order (E-PSPO) for the safety of staff and visitors to vaccination centres. The order aims to protect the public from the harm that some protests can cause around schools, vaccination centres and NHS Test and Trace sites. The order is not designed to restrict free speech or the right to protest, however it is intended to ensure both the public using the services, and staff and volunteers providing them can do so free from intimidation, harassment and any restriction of access to those services.
There were a total of 27 responses to the survey which allowed members of the public to share their views and experiences of the order and its requirements.
When asked about interference to the vaccination centres, all respondents agreed this should be covered by the E-PSPO. We also asked about signage, text and images used, with 100% of respondents agreeing it should be a requirement of the E-PSPO to be removed if breaching it. The majority of respondents stated these behaviours had a major impact and led to harassment and intimidation.
Overall 96% of respondents completing the survey agreed with the council’s decision to introduce a 6 month E- PSPO to help prevent harassment, intimidation and impediment at COVID-19 vaccination clinics in Stockport.
The results highlight the concerns regarding the behaviour around COVID- 19 vaccination sites for staff and service users. As a result of this consultation, we are opening a further consultation to seek views on replacing the e-PSPO with a 3-year public spaces protection order, which would be otherwise identical in its effect to the e-PSPO.
Participants were asked to consider the following eight proposed changes to the Adult Social Care Direct Payments Policy:
A total of 340 representations were received, with 259 responses from client/carers, 37 from members of staff and 44 from members of the public. A further 61 people were engaged through focus group discussions.
With overall agreement of fifteen percent for proposal three ‘Using a personal bank account’, this was the least agreeable of the eight proposals and was particularly unpopular with staff taking part in the consultation. Proposal six ‘Paying for Council services and using DPs outside the UK’ proved to be unpopular across all groups consulted, with just one in five staff agreeing with the proposal.
For clients and carers, proposal two ‘Support from family members’ proved to be the most agreeable with proposal one ‘Unspent funds’ and proposal four ‘Holiday costs’ a close second.
Strong themes have appeared throughout the consultation.
Responses about what people like about the proposals can be broadly set out into 3 categories:
Across all proposals, a key theme was that the policy would give greater control and flexibility to the client. It will also give greater flexibility to staff members who will be able to be more creative and have more responsibility when writing support plans. It was noted that this needs to be communicated to practitioners so that support plans can be altered to reflect the flexibility.
Respondents largely felt that the proposed changes would improve their own, or the person they care for’s mental health and wellbeing. This was particularly prevalent on proposals relating to unspent funds and leisure activities.
A key theme across the proposals was that the changes will help ease financial pressures felt by clients and carers. For example, travelling to appointments and other activities set out in the care plan, paying family members, and using Direct Payments to pay for leisure activities.
Responses about how the proposals could be improved can be broadly set out into 3 categories:
Respondents felt that the language under proposal seven: using your Direct Payment to pay for leisure activities could be rephrased. For example, the terms wellbeing or wellness should be used instead. Also, it was found that the language under proposal 6: paying for council services and spending your Direct Payment outside of the UK needs to be clearer.
A key theme across all proposals was that clarity and training is needed within the policy so that Practitioners can effectively and confidently write support plans and that clients and carers can confidently use their Direct Payment to fulfil their needs. Clarification is needed on proposal three that using the same bank is a choice, not a requirement and how this will be audited. Also, clear guidance on how Direct Payments can be used for holiday and/or respite, and travel. There also needs to be guidance on what leisure activities are acceptable and how this will be managed by practitioners. Furthermore, clarity is needed on whether there are any rules on people spending prolonged periods of time away from home. There also needs to be assurance that the policies will be linked to individual outcomes.
Another key theme across the proposals was a concern for the possibility of proposals being open for misuse. This was particularly prevalent through the proposals relating to unspent funds and paying family members. Respondents felt that there needs to be a defined process to reduce the risk of misinterpretation as funds are derived from the public purse.
Summary of the feedback we received and the action we plan to take in response to it:
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Feedback |
Action proposed in response to feedback |
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Repayment of monies reclaimed under old policy |
The Council has already contacted just over one hundred clients and carers where any reductions in care were made under the old policy. It has now reviewed the care needs for these clients and where necessary, reinstated support plans. If you were negatively affected by the previous policy and we have not yet been in touch with you, then please call us on 0161 218 1450 or email us at dp.review@stockport.gov.uk and we will respond as quickly as possible. |
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Maintain consistent approach/interpretation of policy, and practitioners to be informed about how support plans can be altered to allow flexibility |
We have developed a staff training and communication plan. This consists of a series of briefings for managers in Adult Social Care, followed by a training programme for all staff who work on direct payments in Adult Social Care. We will also be providing updated written guidance and an e-learning training package for staff. This training programme will also have a focus on how social workers can develop flexibility in support plans. |
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Ensure that policy is not abused – e.g., Paying families and paying for leisure activities |
We will monitor use of Direct Payment funds through our review and audit processes. This involves an initial check by the Brokerage Service and the allocated social worker within the first six weeks of a payment. This is to assure the council that the service user understands their responsibilities and is coping well with the expected administration of the account. A formal audit will be undertaken at four months – this allows time for a pattern of spend to be established and for the first bank statement to arrive. If there are no issues with the first audit, they will be carried out every six months. |
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Rephrase communication asking for repayments to avoid stress to families |
We have already started to review all our correspondence to Direct Payment clients to ensure that it is written in a way that doesn’t cause unnecessary stress. We will share our revised documentation with the Stockport Advocacy Group to seek their feedback on our changes. |
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Clarification needed that using the same bank account is a choice, not a requirement, and clarification on how using same bank account for DP will be managed in terms of audit |
We recognise that further guidance is needed for people using personal bank accounts to manage Direct Payments. We are in the process of developing this guidance, which will also include details of the processes we will use for auditing spend. |
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Guidance on how Direct Payments can be used for holidays and/or respite |
We are currently working on improving the guidance and developing some examples to be included in our new policy. |
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Guidance on what kind of travel Direct Payments can be used for i.e., to what places, what form of transport and fair travel costs |
We will be improving our guidance and providing examples in the new policy. |
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Paying for council services and spending your Direct Payment outside of the UK language needs to be clearer, and guidance on using Direct Payments outside of UK will be managed by practitioners |
Examples will be included in the new policy and guidance will be provided for practitioners. |
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Term ‘leisure’ re worded under proposal 7, and guidance on what leisure activities are acceptable and how this will be managed by practitioners |
We have removed the word ‘leisure’ from the Direct Payment Policy because we felt it was misleading, instead we will refer to wellbeing activities to meet a person’s assessed outcomes under the Care Act. We feel this provides clearer guidance for clients and carers. We will not be providing a list of which activities are acceptable as we feel that this is dependent on assessed care act needs and finding the best activity to help an individual meet those needs. However, we will still provide a list of activities that are not acceptable in the policy, such as those that involve gambling or alcohol. |
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Guidance on whether there are any rules on people spending prolonged time away from home |
We will not be introducing any rules regarding prolonged periods away from home. |
We asked for your views on the potential implementation of Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) and associated signage, bollards and implementation of dropped kerbs with tactile paving; as part of a Road Safety around Schools scheme to support the Council’s overall strategic ambition to increase the number of children walking or cycling to school.
From 37 letters deliver and 10 on street notices we received 1 positive response from a resident who strongly agreed with the proposals.
A report was submitted to the Central Stockport Area committee in January 2023 where approval was granted for the scheme, including advertisement of the TROs. Following advertisement of the TRO’s no objections were received during the consultation period, therefore the order was made. Works have been ordered and are nearing completion on site.
Between Monday 30th May and Monday 20th June 2022 we asked for your views on the introduction of a 20mph speed limit zone with supporting signs and the installation of temporary traffic calming cushions on Finney Lane, Heald Green. This scheme was implemented to make the local areas safer for everyone who uses it using the government’s Safe Streets Saves Lives grant.
A total of 540 responses were received, 525 were residents, although representations were received from two local businesses.
Following on from the consultation, the Cheadle Area Committee recommended the Cabinet Member approve the proposal to make the 20mph speed limit zone with supporting signs permanent and to remove the installation of temporary traffic calming cushions on Finney Lane, Heald Green. Please see the decision here: https://stockport.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/705148
Between 11-28 March 2022 we asked for your views on the proposal to trial a part closure of Stonepail Road Gatley with the introduction of a modal filter and planters/bollards . This proposal was one of a series of traffic calming measures introduced in Gatley and other areas around Stockport.
A total of 44 responses were received, predominantly from residents, although representations were received from five local businesses.
Key Issues raised were with regards to parking and safe movement around the junctions.
Following issues raised around parking and safe movement around the junctions, Councillors have asked officers to revisit plans for Stonepail Road. Affected residents will be contacted in due course outlining the proposals.
We asked for your views on the potential introducton of a prebooked minimum journey free for Hackney Carriages.
There were real concerns regarding the proposal from people who either use hackney carriages or who are carers for people who use hackney carriages. Your told us of your concerns around the increased cost associated with a prebooked fare.
Yout said that you felt aggrieved by the proposal for a prebooked minimum fare and their response is that they would use private hire instead.
Results indicated concerns from service users regarding the request for the introduction of a minimum fare to be charged for prebooked hackney carriage journeys.
The concerns were re-laid to the hackney carriage trade association who have decided to withdraw their request for a prebooked minimum fare from the current fare review.
The hackney carriage trade association have asked the Council to undertake research with other local authorities to see if any similar schemes operate successfully in other council areas, so that the matter may be considered in any future hackney carriage fare review
We asked how far you agreed or disagreed with the Stockport Active Communities Strategy principles, approach, priority groups and action priorities.
There were a total of 94 responses to the online survey. 69.15% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed with the proposed whole systems approach; 67.03% either agreed or strongly agreed with the proposed principles and approach; 70.22% either agreed or strongly agreed with the identified priority groups and 29.79% respondents felt that there were some action priorities missing. The key themes arising from the survey were that everyone needs to be included and that accessibility and inclusivity is of upmost importance. It is also about getting everyone involved through good communications and leading by example.
The next stage of development is the implementation plan and that is the stage when we will not only consider in detail what we propose to do to further support and facilitate activity for our priority groups but also consider how to measure impact.
We asked for your views on the potential implementation of Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) and associated signage; implementation of bollards and dropped kerbs with tactile paving; road markings; speed limit repeater signs and new school warning signs as part of a Road Safety around Schools scheme to support the Council’s overall strategic ambition to increase the number of children walking or cycling to school.
A total of 9 responses were received with 78% of respondents supporting the proposals.
The proposed scheme was approved at the Central Stockport Area Committee on the 10th March 2022. The TROs are expected to be advertised in spring/summer 2022.
The full report can be viewed on the Council’s Democracy web pages here (Item 11): https://democracy.stockport.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=148&MId=27523&Ver=4
We asked for your views on the School Admission arrangements for the 2023-24 academic year including changes to the processing of late applications and school holiday dates.
There was overwhelming support for keeping the school holidays the same as in previous years, with many saying these allowed parents of primary aged children to book holidays in the May half term.
There was a mixed response to the change of processing late applications, many stakeholders felt it was fair to allow these applications to be made on time following offer day. Others felt that there is sufficient time for everyone to apply and it was unfair to the parents and children who applied by the deadline.
The proposals were considered and approved with school holiday dates following the same format as in previous years and ‘late applications’ will be considered as on time 2 weeks after offer day. The full determination can be found here: https://www.stockport.gov.uk/determination-notice-2023-24
We asked for your views on the potential implementation of Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) and associated signage; implementation of bollards and dropped kerbs with tactile paving; access protection markings and new school warning signs as part of a Road Safety around Schools scheme to support the Council’s overall strategic ambition to increase the number of children walking or cycling to school.
A total of 18 responses were received with 71% of respondents supporting the proposals. Four local residents advised that they experience drivers parking across their driveways at school times.
In response to the feedback received access protection markings are proposed at an additional two properties (the other two properties that reported cars parking across the driveway have existing access protection markings).
The proposed scheme was approved at the Werneth Area Committee on the 7th March 2022. The TROs are expected to be advertised in spring/summer 2022.
The full report can be viewed on the Council’s Democracy web pages here (Item 9): https://democracy.stockport.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=135&MId=27481&Ver=4
We asked for your views on the potential implementation of Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) and associated signage; implementation of pencil bollards; and new school warning signs as part of a Road Safety around Schools scheme to support the Council’s overall strategic ambition to increase the number of children walking or cycling to school.
A total of 22 responses were received with 68% of respondents supporting the proposals. 6 respondents disagreed with the proposals, 5 of whom disagreed with an element of the proposed TROs. One resident requested that additional measures be implemented on Churchley Road.
In response to the feedback received, the proposed restrictions on Huntley Road have been reduced. Ward members have also agreed to review Churchley Road, separate to the Road Safety Around Schools programme.
The proposed scheme was approved at the Central Stockport Area Committee on the 10th March 2022. The TROs are expected to be advertised in spring/summer 2022.
The full report can be viewed on the Council’s Democracy web pages here (Item 10): https://democracy.stockport.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=148&MId=27523&Ver=4
We asked for your views on the potential implementation of dropped kerbs with tactile paving on Bosden Fold Road and remarking of the existing 20 roundels and SLOW road markings as part of a Road Safety around Schools scheme to support the Council’s overall strategic ambition to increase the number of children walking or cycling to school.
A total of 14 responses were received with 93% of respondents supporting the proposals.
The proposals were approved at the Stepping Hill Area Committee on 25th January 2022. The full report can be viewed on the Council’s Democracy Web pages here (Item 9): Agenda for Stepping Hill Area Committee on Tuesday, 25th January, 2022, 6.00 pm - Stockport Council