Agenda and minutes

Decision – That the notes of the meeting held on 19 October 2022 be approved.

Oral report of the Leader of the Council

Decision – That the oral report of the Leader of the Council giving an update on a range of issues including the COP 27 summit in Egypt this week; the significant strides the Council was making towards its net zero target; the Remembrance Day events which had taken place across the County including at the National Memorial Arboretum; the Council’s “Here to Help” campaign which was connecting people, including those who had or were serving in the armed forces, with the huge range of support available in Staffordshire from charities including the Royal British Legion and SSAFA; the launch of the Council’s new Community Recovery fund, inviting bids for grants of up to £5,000 from voluntary and community groups working with those affected by the cost of living; promotion of the free Holiday Activities and Food programme under which over the Christmas period, eligible schoolchildren would be able to attend free holiday clubs and enjoy a healthy meal; the trialling a new thermal road repair machine that heats the road and reuses existing tarmac; and the increase in cases of Avian Flu in our bird population; be noted.

Decision – That the minutes of the meeting of the Property Sub-Committee held on 2 November 2022 be received.

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economy and Skills

Decision – That the oral report of the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economy and Skills giving an update on “Staffordshire Means Back to Business” activity including the following matters be noted:

·       The showcase of the West Midlands Interchange (WMI) project in South Staffordshire, by our investment body Make It Stoke and Staffordshire. The WMI has been approved through the national planning Development Consent Order (DCO) process, being considered as a nationally significant infrastructure project.  The scheme is expected to generate over 8,000 direct jobs, and the developer states spending will support a further 8,100 indirect and induced jobs in the economy through the distribution chain.  Following planning approval at a national level, our approach has been very much about working with the scheme developers to secure the best opportunities possible for our local residents and the wider community.  As part of this approach, we were successful in securing up to £4.55m for recruitment and skills development activity over the life of the project.

·       The inaugural WMI Employment Funding Steering Group held on the 10 November. This steering group is a decision-making body who are responsible for directing the spending of the employment fund. A WMI Employment Partnershipwill also be established early in the new year, which will include local public, private and education sector representatives.  This partnership will help shape delivery and it will report into the Employment Fund Steering Group. 

·       The claimant count in Staffordshire has remained virtually unchanged over the last month, with only a very small increase of 40 claimants between September and October 2022, with the total number of claimants in the county now standing at 14,365.  This is similar to the national picture, with the claimant rates for Staffordshire and England remaining unchanged at 2.7% and 3.7% of the working age population, respectively.

The youth claimant count in Staffordshire has seen an increase of 80 to a total of 2,635 young people.  The number of claimants aged 18-24 has therefore increased but been partly offset by a fall in the number of claimants from other age groups.  This is the same as what has happened across England as a whole.  At the moment it is not entirely clear as to why this is the case, and we will be closely monitoring the situation, but it may be due to young people leaving formal education.  The proportion of young people in Staffordshire aged 18-24 that are claiming work-related Universal Credit has increased this month from 3.9% to 4.1% compared to 2.7% for the working age population and 4.7% nationally.

Cabinet Member for Environment, Infrastructure and Climate Change

Reasons for the Decision – To consider the Council’s Climate Change 2022 Annual Report, which records the positive progress that has been made on the Council’s target to become net carbon zero by 2050, together with Climate Change Action Plan revision 2, November 2022, which lists the Authority’s key climate change mitigating actions over the next 3 years.

Decision – (a) That the Council’s Climate Change 2022 Annual Report, which records the positive progress that has been made on the Council’s target to become net carbon zero by 2050, be noted. 

(b) That the Climate Change Action Plan revision 2, November 2022, which lists the Council’s key climate change mitigating actions over the next three years, be approved.

(c) That the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Members’ view that the reports should be circulated to key Staffordshire stakeholders including, MPs, District and Borough Councils and Parish Councils, be agreed.

Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources

Reasons for the Decision – To consider a summary of the County Council’s borrowing and investment activities during the first six months of the year.

Decision – (a) That the treasury management activities for the half-year ended 30 September 2022 be noted.

(b) That the Prudential Indicators (shown in Appendix 2 to the report be noted and the increase to the Upper Limit of variable rate interest exposure from £316 million to £420 million (as detailed in the report) be approved.

(c) That the proposed revision to the Non-Standard Investment limits to £100 million per asset class and £200 million in total (as laid out in the report and detailed in Appendix 5) be noted and approved.

Decision – That the following decisions taken by Cabinet Members under delegated powers be noted:

The Forward Plan of Key Decisions for the period 14 December 2022 to 19 April 2023, which detailed the following issues, was approved: