The following Member declared an interest in accordance with Standing Order 16.5:- 

Decision – That the notes of the meeting held on 18 October 2023 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 Remembrance Services which took place across the County, including at the National Memorial Arboretum, to remember those who gave their lives so we could enjoy the freedoms we have today; the Council’s work with Tri Services in Newcastle to help them secure a permanent base for their work in supporting veterans; the extra costs that that Winter brings to families and the support available via the Household Support Fund; Staffordshire’s Libraries to offer warm spaces to residents over the Winter period; the Government would shortly be announcing its spending priorities for the country as part of the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement this month; the Council’s commitment to balancing its books while still promoting good education, training and job opportunities, growing our economy, investing in good roads, protecting our amazing countryside, leading the way on reducing our carbon footprint, fostering better, more independent lives and of course protecting our most vulnerable children and adults; and the launch of the Let’s Talk Staffordshire survey which ask residents for their ideas on the future of their local communities; be noted.

Decision – That the minutes of the meeting of the Property Sub-Committee held on 1 November 2023 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: 

·        This month saw an increase of 335 claimants in Staffordshire, at the same time we have seen increases both regionally and nationally, this is reflective of the challenging economic conditions businesses continue to operate in across the country.  The total number of claimants in the county now stands at 14,955 or 2.8% of the working age population.  It is important to state that the claimant count rate in Staffordshire continues to be one of the lowest in the West Midlands and is far lower than the average for the region of 4.8%, and lower than the average for England of 3.8%. We will continue to support those residents that unfortunately find themselves out of work to access employment through our Jobs Brokerage service. 

·        The youth claimant count in Staffordshire saw an increase of 40 claimants to a total of 2,900 young people.  The proportion of young people in Staffordshire aged 18-24 that are claiming work-related Universal Credit now stands at 4.6%.  This is lower than the national rate of 5.1% and far lower than the regional rate of 6.8%.  This further increase in the youth claimant count highlights the importance of continuing to engage with our younger residents and supporting them to find employment or continue in education and training. 

·        The most recently released figures on disposable household income showed that Staffordshire is outperforming regional and national averages, with disposable income per head increasing by 4.4% in Staffordshire compared to 4% and 3.7% across the West Midlands Region and UK respectively.  Whilst high levels of inflation continue to present challenges, this is now expected to fall substantially over the coming months whilst the County Council will continue to do all we can to support our residents in getting a higher paid job, thereby putting more money in their pockets. 

·        Last month I updated Cabinet on some of the short-term localised difficulties the delivery of some of our investment activity can create, and particularly our Chatterley Valley West employment site and the ongoing closure of Peacock Hay Road.  The highways works recommenced on 13^th November following the appointment of our strategic infrastructure partner, Amey, to undertake these works. The site developer, Harworth Group has also appointed a replacement earthworks contractor to recommence plot preparation and servicing works.  Although there may be a period of limited activity due to winter conditions, the development of the site will soon be fully back underway, ensuring that the full benefits of the scheme, including the creation of 1,700 jobs, will be realised at the earliest opportunity. 

·        The Council has now supported 598 people through the Staffordshire Start Up Mentoring Programme, with 279 of those who have successfully completed the course deciding that self-employment is for them and having gone on to start their own business.  For those people who have completed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50.

Cabinet Member for Children and Young People

Reasons for the Decision – To review the structure of the Early Years Service within Staffordshire County Council following the transfer of the team from Entrust. 

Decision – (a) That the strategic vision for the early years’ service be endorsed and the contribution this will make to Staffordshire’s Strategic Plan be acknowledged.  

(b) That the principles for the proposed reorganisation of the Early Years Service delivery model detailed within the report be endorsed and support for Officers to further develop this model with staff and stakeholders be agreed. 

(c) That authority be delegated to the Director for Children’s Services in consultation with the lead member for Children and Young People and lead member for Education and SEND to approve the final staffing structure for the service.  

(d) That the planned budget profile for the Early Years Service and investment in new areas of delivery be endorsed. 

Cabinet Member for Environment, Infrastructure and Climate Change

Reasons for the Decision – To consider the Council’s Climate Change 2022/2023 Annual Report and to approve the Climate Change Action Plan revision 3, November 2023 (CCAP), which contains specific actions to be undertaken by the Council prior to 2025 which will assist in our journey to become net carbon zero by 2050. 

Decision – (a) That the Council’s Climate Change 2022/2023 Annual Report, which records the positive progress that has been made on our target to become net carbon zero by 2050, be noted.   

(b) That the Climate Change Action Plan revision 3, November 2023, which lists our key climate change mitigating actions over the next 2 years, be approved. 

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Employment and Skills

Reasons for the Decision – To consider the new Employment and Skills Strategy which outlines the County Council’s vision and priorities for developing the skills of our residents to create the workforce needed to deliver our Economic Strategy and Strategic Plan. 

Decision – (a) That the Employment and Skills Strategy be approved. 

(b) Working with those Cabinet Members with associated responsibilities, the Director for Economy, Infrastructure & Skills be authorised to progress the development of supporting delivery plans, working with our partners as appropriate. 

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 2023 be noted. 

(b) That the early repayment of £50 million of PWLB debt, as discussed in Paragraph 30 of the report, be noted. 

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

The Forward Plan of Key Decisions for the period 13 December 2023 to 17 April 2024, which detailed the following issues, was approved: 

The Chairman to move:

“That the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business which involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A (as amended) of Local Government Act 1972 indicated below”.

Part Two

(All reports in this section are exempt)

“That the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business which involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A (as amended) of the Local Government Act 1972 indicated below”. 

PART TWO 

(Exemption paragraph 3)

Cabinet Member for Health and Care

(Exemption paragraph 3) 

Reasons for the Decision – To consider a proposal to build two nursing homes in the Tamworth/Lichfield area. 

Decision – That the recommendations contained in the report be agreed. 

(Exemption Paragraph 3)

Cabinet Member for Environment, Infrastructure and Climate Change

(Exemption paragraph 3) 

Reasons for the Decision – To consider a proposal for the re-procurement of waste transfer facilities to receive, manage and transfer waste. 

Decision – That the recommendations contained in the report be agreed. 

Alan White 

Leader of the Council