Social Value Ideas for Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council

30 affordable homes approved

The committee approved a major affordable housing scheme for 30 dwellings on land south of Doris Avenue. Officers and the supporter said the homes would be delivered by B1 Homes, with local contractor…

“The application proposes the erection of 30 affordable dwellings to be delivered by b one homes, formerly known as Bolton at Home. The officer's repor…”

Disabled-domicile design flexibility

The committee approved a large extension and dormer at Woodvale Avenue after accepting exceptional family circumstances, including a child undergoing cancer treatment and a home-working carer. The dec…

“We tried to engage with that balance within the officers report. We've concluded that the two storey side extension and the porch are entirely justifi…”

Section 106 package fixed

A second housing scheme at Grisedale Close was recommended for approval with a reduced Section 106 package of £81,500, allocated across affordable housing, education, and children's play contributions…

“As the developments in over 15 market houses, there's a policy requirement for the applicants to provide Section 106 contributions to mitigate the imp…”

HMO decision deferred

The committee deferred a proposed HMO change of use at 171 Victoria Road to obtain further legal advice on retrospective issues, Article 4 direction, and external amenity space. This suggests addition…

“The proposal does as far as I'm concerned, the proposal does not fully accord with the development plan when read as a whole. Article four direction g…”

Complaints process reset

Officers described a new corporate complaints team, a three-stage complaints process, and a cultural shift toward learning from complaints rather than just responding to them. Members asked for the po…

“So, the complaints function is the stage two complaints, you will see in the performance status it says to be determined. The reason for that is that …”

Circulate complaints policy

The officer agreed to circulate the complaints policy/procedure and website link to all members the next day, following requests for clarity on complaint handling stages and escalation. This is a dire…

“Thanks, Chair. Just following up from that. I used to deal with I was a manager dealing with complaints for a PFI scheme in Salford And the radical ch…”

Staff sickness driving workforce strain

The directorate identified staff sickness as a key area for improvement, with significant proportions linked to stress, depression and mental health. Members pressed for a deeper dive because sickness…

“So, the first dashboard was launched in April 2025 and this was in response to some of the feedback that we'd had through the LGA peer review and at t…”

Pension Scheme Accounting Discrepancy - Audit Hold

Significant issue identified during accounts audit relating to defined benefit pension scheme. The pension fund auditor reported benefits paid figure differing by approximately £10 million from the co…

“There was a significant difference of just over £10 million... there was also an academy conversion which was missed... The estimated impact of both o…”

Revised Actuary Report Submission for Pension Audit

Management action required: Council must provide revised actuary report incorporating corrections for the £10 million benefits paid discrepancy and the academy conversion miss. Updated financial state…

“The council have obtained a revised actuary report We're just waiting on us to be provided— we need to be provided with this revised actuarial report …”