Agenda item

The Leader will inform the Council about his work and his plans for the Council, and will give an overview of decisions taken by the Cabinet (and Portfolio Holders) since the previous meeting of the Council

The Leader of the Council presented a Statement outlining his recent work since the previous meeting of the Council. 

 

Staffordshire Means Back to Business - Oral Update 

(Paragraph 1 of the Statement) 

 

Councillor Smith referred to the proposed developments in his Division including the provision of a facility with 30 electric vehicle charging points; the regional headquarters for a major company and a 10-acre site for hi-tech manufacturing. 

 

Councillor Yates requested an update with regard to the Chatterley Valley site and, in particular, the delays in completing the ground works.  In response, Councillor Philip White indicated that the sub-contractor undertaking the ground works had gone into administration and that the Council was working with the main contractor to secure a new sub-contractor to complete those works. 

 

Councillor Winnington spoke about the recentannouncement by the Prime Minister that the second phase of HS2 between Birmingham and Manchester was to be cancelled.  He also referred to the need for the Council to look to maximise the benefits which could be harvested in relation to the announcement of Government funding to support local transport schemes.  Councillor Cox added that he supported Councillor Winnington’s comments on the need to look to maximise the benefits from any additional Government funding to support local transport schemes.  Councillor Hood also spoke about the devastating impact of HS2 on her Division including the work which had been commenced to construct a railhead.  In response, Councillor Philip White indicated that the County council had consistently opposed the construction of HS2 but that if the project did proceed, the Council was committed to extracting every ounce of economic benefit for Staffordshire and this remained the case.  He welcomed the announcement of additional Government funding for local transport schemes and stated that he was awaiting the full details of what this would mean for Staffordshire.   

 

Councillor Hussain referred to the closure of Wilkinsons stores across the UK and asked the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economy and Skills that every effort was made to ensure that workers at the stores received their rightful pension, redundancy payments and a reliable safety net to avoid them falling into poverty.  In response, Councillor Philip White indicated that Staffordshire had one of the lowest unemployment rates in the region with 1.6 vacancies for each person looking for employment, a large proportion of which were in retail.  He added that a multi-agency group had been put together to support those employees affected by the closure of Wilkinsons and also the Amazon site in Rugeley. 

 

Councillor Jessel spoke about the investment which had taken place along the A38 including the development at Branston Locks and the proposed upgrading of the interchange at Branston.  Councillor Hudson also referred to prosed work to improve two junctions along the A50 in Uttoxeter. 

 

Councillor Philip White referred to the Enjoy Staffordshire tourism awards, with judging taking place over the next few months and the awards ceremony set for March 2024. 

 

Councillor Alan White highlighted how Staffordshire had had to endure more than its fair share of disruption arising from national infrastructure projects such as the widening of the M6, the M6 Toll, improvements to the West Coast Main Line and more recently, HS2.  He added that the County Council needed to make sure that it derived the maximum inward investment which could be capitalised from such projects. 

 

Living My Best Life' - A Strategy for Disabled and Neurodivergent People in Staffordshire 2023-2028 

(Paragraph 2 of the Statement) 

 

Councillor Clements welcomed the Strategy and, in particular, its focus on supporting people to live their best lives, regardless of the nature of their disability or neurodivergence or whether they had care and support needs. 

 

Councillor Charlotte Atkins also welcomed the Strategy but added that it needed to do more to recognise the daily challenges disabled people faced.  She also spoke about hate crime against disabled people which she indicated had increased by 23% in Staffordshire, with fewer than 3% of perpetrators being charged.Councillor Atkins added that the disability charity, Leonard Cheshire, had called on all Police Forces to have Disability Liaison Officers to help reduce such hate crime but that, unfortunately, none had been appointed in Staffordshire.  In response, Councillor Jessel indicated that she would raise this matter with the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. 

 

Councillor Loughborough-Rudd expressed his support for the Strategyand also spoke about the excellent support available in the County for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. 

 

Councillor Jessel and Councillor Northcott spoke about the development of the Strategy,how service users had helped inform the strategy, and its solid foundation which was aimed at providingthe best possible service to disabled people.    

 

Supported Living Future Commissioning Arrangements Update 

(Paragraph 3 of the Statement) 

 

Councillor Charlotte Atkinsindicated that she supported the decision to go for a flexible framework for the future commissioning of supported living and enquired as to the expectedincrease in demand for such services over the next five to eight years; and whether the Council would be able to meet that demand, especially in the high needs area. 

 

Councillor Yates spoke about supported living arrangements and how they needed to be properly planned and integrated into local communities. 

 

Councillor Hussain sought an assurance that equipment provided for disabled people, such as stairlifts, would be serviced and properly maintained. 

 

Councillor Jessel explained how service users had helped inform the development of the Council’s supported living service in order toprovide a consistency in approach and in service specifications.   

 

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards - Contract Award 

(Paragraph 4 of the Statement) 

 

In response to a question from Councillor Hussain, Councillor Alan White indicated that the County Council was continuing to lobby the Staffordshire Members of Parliament to press the Government to bring in the proposed new Liberty Protection Safeguards legislation which would replace Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. 

 

Staffordshire Bus Strategy 

(Paragraph 5 of the Statement) 

 

Councillor Yates referred to the perceived reluctance of car drivers to trust bus services as an alternative means of travel and also the need for funding for the provision of appropriate infrastructure such as bus shelters and live “arrivals” displays. 

 

Councillor Cox and Councillor Huckfield spoke about bus patronage levels and the risk that if services were not used and became non-cost effective, they would be withdrawn by the operator. 

 

Councillor Loughborough-Rudd referred to the need for a national strategy on bus services to make them more connected, for example, with rail services. 

 

In responding to Members, Councillor David Williams referred to the on-going work with bus operators to encourage patronage and to bolster essential services.  Councillor Alan White added that there needed to be a devolution of powers from Central Government to local authorities to enable the local delivery ofpublic transport infrastructure. 

 

Accelerated Progress Plan: Enhanced Assess-Plan-Do-Review Pathway, Strategy for Special Provision and the Staffordshire Children and Young People’s Framework 

(Paragraph 8 of the Statement) 

 

Councillor Charlotte Atkins spoke about the need to “win the confidence” of the parents of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) that the support those children need is available in mainstream schools.  She also indicated that, unfortunately, there were some schools which discouraged SEND pupils from joining their school community and that this was not acceptable.   In response, Councillor Price indicated that he agreed with Councillor Atkin’s comments on the need to win the confidence of parents of SEND pupils. 

 

Councillor Yates referred to the need for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP’s) to be completed more quickly. 

 

Staffordshire Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 

(Paragraph 9 of the Statement) 

 

Councillor Smith referred to the need for an audit of all of the actions the Council was taking whichcontributed towards its climate change policy. 

 

Councillor Yates spoke about the Council’s responsibilities to mitigate the impact of climate change and also to prioritise actions which could reduce flooding such as clearing drains and gulleys.  In response, Councillor Tagg suggested that Councillor Yates should contact the Council’s Flood Risk Management Team if there were any particular issues which needed to be addressed. 

 

Councillor Hussain asked that therebe a coordinated approach with partners, such as other local authorities, to undertake a survey looking at opportunities to expand woodlands.In response, Councillor Tagg indicated that the Council was working with the district and borough councils with regard to tree planting initiatives. 

 

Councillor Tagg thanked Members for their comments and indicated that the Strategy had been developed jointly with the district and borough councils across Staffordshire.  He added that good progress was being made towards achieving the target of net zero by 2050. 

 

Staffordshire Warmer Homes – Approval of the Spend  

plans for the Home Upgrade Grant Phase 2 

(Paragraph 11 of the Statement) 

 

Councillor Yates called on his fellow Members to help to identify those households who may be eligible to receive funding under the Warmer Homes initiative. In response,Councillor Jessel stated that she agreed that Members could play a vital role in helping to identify those people who could benefit from the initiative and added that Parish Councils and community groups could also help in this respect.   

 

Staffordshire Jobs and Careers Service 

(Paragraph 12 of the Statement)  

 

Councillor Kruskonjic spoke about the success of the jobs fairs which had taken place in his division. Councillor Philip White thanked Councillor Kruskonvicfor his comments and added that the jobs fairs were taking place across the County.  

  

Fixing more roads 

(Paragraph 13 of the Statement) 

 

Councillor Hudson spoke about the recent improvements to roads in Uttoxeter and extended his thanks to the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport.  Councillor Silvester-Hall welcomed the recent works to install traffic lights at the junction of Grange Lane and Eastern Avenue in Lichfield. 

 

Councillor Hood extended her thanks to the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport for the speed with which the improvements to the Walton Island in Stone were completed. 

 

Councillor Cox indicated that the Council was now seeing the fruits of its additional investment in the County’s roads and Councillor Peters extended his thanks for the recent resurfacing of the Claymills junction in his division. 

 

Councillor Philip Atkins referred to the highway improvement works which had taken place in his division but added that there was still more to be done including along the A50 – A500 corridor. 

 

Councillor Trowbridge spoke about the need for improvement works which needed to be undertaken along the A449 Wolverhampton Road in Stafford. 

 

Councillor Price referred to the housing development at Beaconside in Stafford and asked for reassurance that the Council was putting pressure on the developer to get the scheme delivered. 

 

Councillor Worthington referred to the need for improvements to the condition of the A520.  Councillor Heath also referred to the need for improvements to roads in North Staffordshire. 

 

Councillor Smith spoke about the need to ensure the suitability of diversion routes where roads were closed to enable works to take place. 

 

Councillor Snape referred to improvements which had taken place in Cannock and Councillor Winnington indicated that he welcomed the proposed reopening of Shay Lane in his division which had been closed for over a year. 

 

Councillor Edgeller spoke about the impact on roads in Stafford as a result of the closure of the M6 motorway both from the point of view of traffic congestion and damage caused by heavy vehicles.  She suggested that the Council should write to National Highways to seek more funding.  In response, Councillor Alan White confirmed that conversations had been held National Highways on this issue and he would continue to press them for additional funding for the County’s roads. 

 

Councillor Eagland welcomed the proposal for a bus service to serve the National Memorial Arboretum near Alrewas. 

 

Councillor David Williams extended his thanks to Members for their comments.  He also referred to how the Council’s additional investment in its highways was now bearing fruit. 

 

Celebrating 10 years of diverting waste from landfill 

(Paragraph 14 of the Statement) 

 

Councillor Philip Atkins spoke about the success of the Waste to Resources (W2R) Plant at Four Ashes in South Staffordshire and how it had saved the Council a considerable amount of money by diverting waste from landfill. 

 

Councillor Tagg spoke about the ongoing issues at Whalleys Quarry and called for a public inquiry into the Environment Agency’s failure to correctlymonitor emissions from the site and the consequential health implications for local residents.  

 

Call to get your Covid and flu jabs this autumn 

(Paragraph 15 of the Statement) 

 

Councillor McMahon stressed the need for those Staffordshire residents who are eligible, to get their Covid and flu jabs.  He added that Covid was endemic and remained in our communities and also could be harmful to those who were vulnerable. 

 

Councillor Oates referred to the vital role played by Pharmacies during the Covid pandemic and added that they were still delivering a massive amount of health care.  He referred to the need for the Council to share information with pharmacies so that they were better able to target their servicesand also reduce the demands on GPs. 

 

Councillor Charlotte Atkins expressed concern that the NHS system often directed people to vaccination centres which were some distance from their home when they could have attended walk in vaccination centres at Pharmacies closer to their homes.  In response, Councillor Northcott indicated that he would take this matter up with the NHS. 

 

Councillor Hutton also encouraged residents to get their Shingles vaccination if eligible. 

 

Councillor Hussain referred to the large amount of misinformation about vaccines published on social media. 

 

Give a child a childhood 

(Paragraph 16 of the Statement) 

 

Councillor Hussain and Councillor Edgeller praised the fantastic contribution made by the County’s foster carers and asked their fellow Members to encourage more people to come forward.  In response, Councillor Sutton indicated that the Council currently had over 400 foster families but that more were needed as too many children were still ending up in residential care. 

 

Resolved – That the Statement of the Leader of the Council be received.