Agenda item

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

 

Integrated Performance Report - Quarter 2, 2020/21

(Paragraph 1 of the Statement)

 

Cllr Woodward referred to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and encouraged all Members to liaise with their local schools with regard to ensuring that they had Education and Care Plans in place for those pupils who required them. 

 

Staffordshire Better Care Fund 2020/21 and the Disabled Facilities Grant

(Paragraph 2 of the Statement)

 

Cllr Charlotte Atkins enquired whether the Leader was aware of the poor reputation of Millbrook Health Care in respect of their delivery of the contract for Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs), particularly in relation to poor workmanship, delays and lack of promotion of the scheme.  Cllr Woodward also enquired as to what the County Council was doing to assist the district councils in respect of the underspend on the provision of DFGs.  In response Cllr McMahon indicated that he would look into the matter to see what assistance the County Council could give but that it was his understanding that responsibility for the spend on DFGs rested with the district councils.

 

Impact of COVID-19 on SCC Communities, Economy and Organisation – October 2020 Update

(Paragraph 4 of the Statement)

 

Members spoke about the impact of Covid-19 on their local communities and discussed a number of matters including the Council’s support for the local economy including through the roll-out of the 5G network, the provision of enterprise centres, apprenticeships and the building of appropriate infrastructure to support businesses; the important on-going role played by Support Staffordshire, SCVYS, other voluntary organisations and local communities throughout the pandemic; and how Covid-19 had indirectly impacted positively on the climate change agenda including through the creation of new “green” businesses.

 

Cllr Oates added that he hoped that many of the advances and improvements brought about as a result of the pandemic, such as through the use of information technology, would not be lost when things returned to the norm.  He also referred to the need for both Central and Local Government to “build back better”.

 

Cllr Philip White thanked Members for their comments and indicated that the Cabinet, at their meeting on 16 December 2020, were to receive a report on what the Council was doing to support the Staffordshire economy.  He also informed the Council that, despite the pandemic, unemployment rates in Staffordshire remained below both the regional and national averages and that the vast majority of employees who had been furloughed had recently returned to work.

 

Update from COVID-19 Member Led Local Outbreak Control Board

(Paragraph 5 of the Statement)

 

Members spoke about the important and vital role played by the COVID-19 Member Led Local Outbreak Control Board.  They also paid tribute to the Council’s Director for Health and Care and the staff within the Public Health team for their on-going work in leading the local response to the pandemic.  Cllr Charlotte Atkins also expressed the view that she hoped that Central Government would recognise its mistakes and learn from the excellent work undertaken by local councils.

 

Cllr Sutton also informed the Council of the availability of funding for those in need through the Covid-19 Winter Grants Scheme and indicated that he had recently written to all Members with details of the scheme.  Cllr Woodward added that some details of the eligibility criteria under scheme were still awaited, such as how those people without children could access the funding, and she sought an assurance that this information would be circulated to all Members of the Council and also the public as soon as it became available.  In response, the Leader confirmed that the information would be circulated as soon as it was available.

 

Support Provided to Business Start-ups in Staffordshire

(Paragraph 6 of the Statement)

 

Members welcomed the support provided by the Council to encourage Business start-ups in Staffordshire.  Cllr Robinson asked for details as to in which parts of the County the new start-ups were to be concentrated.  In response, Cllr Philip White indicated that, in Newcastle Borough, two new Town Deals were proposed, one for Newcastle itself and the other for Kidsgrove.  He also referred to the expansion of the Innovation Centres at Keele University.

 

Cllrs Price, Trowbridge and Worthington indicated that they welcomed the news of the £1.6m scheme to re-invigorate the Shirehall in Stafford, including the provision of facilities for small business start-ups.  Cllr Philip White thanked Members for their comments, and he paid tribute to the work of the Council’s Economic Development team.

 

Adult Learning Disability 2022 Community Offer: Update on Learning Disability Services Directly Provided by Staffordshire County Council

(Paragraph 7 of the Statement)

 

Cllr Woodward indicated that she supported the proposals for the expansion of day opportunities in Lichfield and Tamworth for adults with learning disabilities and expressed the hope that the new facilities would be put in place soon.  Cllr Adams also welcomed the proposals and added that he was pleased that the associated transport issues were being addressed.

 

Cllr Charlotte Atkins indicated that, in rural areas such as the Staffordshire Moorlands, Learning and Disability Services were few and far between and needed to be made more accessible.   She also expressed the view that it was important to monitor the quality of the services provided to ensure that they were of an appropriate standard.  In response, Cllr McMahon indicated that much had been learned during the Covid-19 pandemic in relation to alternative ways of providing access to services.  He added that, going forward, rather than these centres acting as silos, it was proposed that they be turned into hubs, supporting their local communities and thus making the service more accessible as well as improving resilience.

 

Covid-19 Latest

(Paragraph 9 of the Statement)

 

Cllr Francis and Cllr Brookes expressed their thanks to the Leader for writing to the Prime Minister recently to state Staffordshire’s case in respect of the impact the Covid-19 restrictions were having on businesses in the County and, in particular, those in the hospitality and tourism sectors.

 

Cllr Hussain and Cllr Peters spoke about the impact of the growth in the number of Covid-19 cases on hospital admissions and they paid tribute to staff within the NHS.

 

Cllr Jessel referred to the need for people to comply with government guidance including on the use of face masks, social distancing and washing hands regularly.

 

Testing

(Paragraph 10 of the Statement)

 

Cllr Winnington praised the contribution made by NEXUS whose staff were supporting the roll-out of lateral flow testing in Staffordshire.  Cllr Francis also paid tribute to those staff from the County Council who were also assisting with the testing.

 

Cllr Robinson spoke about the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in north Staffordshire.  He stated that difficulties were being encountered by some people in getting tested due to the inadequacy of good public transport links to the test Centres.  He asked that action be taken to address this issue.  In response, Cllr McMahon indicated that he would arrange for Cllr Robinson’s concerns to be investigated.

 

Government Spending Review

(Paragraph 11 of the Statement)

 

Cllr Brookes moved, and Cllr Clements seconded, the following motion:

 

“That, in light of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s announcement of a public sector pay freeze for the next financial year, this council resolves that there be no increase in elected members’ allowances for the period 2021/22.”

 

Several Members expressed their concern at the Government’s announcement and indicated that the felt that this was a “slap in the face” for public sector workers and would adversely impact those on low pay.

 

Members expressed their support for the motion before the Council and, following a vote, the Chairman declared the motion carried.

 

In response to a question from Cllr Woodward in respect of the Shared Prosperity Fund, Cllr Alan White indicated that details of the Fund were still awaited from Central Government.

 

Cllr Alan White and Cllr Jessel also spoke about the funding provided to date to the Council by Central Government to support the local economy and to tackle other issues arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Staffordshire Story

(Paragraph 12 of the Statement)

 

Cllr Woodward referred to new Staffordshire story and emerging plans to promote the county and reignite its economy following the Covid pandemic and indicated that, in her view, Members needed to be involved in the development of the proposals.

 

Cllr Charlotte Atkins and Cllr Brookes also referred to the need for “supporting local businesses” to be central to the Council’s procurement strategy.

 

RESOLVED – (a) That the Statement of the Leader of the Council be received.

 

(b) That, in light of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s announcement of a public sector pay freeze for the next financial year, this council resolves that there be no increase in elected members’ allowances for the period 2021/22.