Agenda item

The Leader of the Council presented a Statement outlining his recent work since the previous meeting of the Council. In moving consideration of his Statement, the Leader made the following statement:

 

Arthur Labinjo-Hughes

 

“I know every member of this council will have been shocked and appalled when reading media coverage of the trial of the father and step-mother of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes last week. A truly terrible, awful case.

 

This tragic case is a solemn reminder of the county council’s vital role, working alongside our partners to keep the most vulnerable young people in Staffordshire safe from harm and neglect. Our social workers do an outstanding job every day, often in hugely challenging circumstances.

 

We will be looking very closely at the outcomes of the inquiries into Arthur’s death, to make sure that we are doing everything possible in Staffordshire to protect and support the children who need our care.”

 

Cllr Charlotte Atkins enquired as to what was being done in Staffordshire to ensure that the Council’s more experienced Social Workers shared their experience about failings with newer Social Workers so that the service could learn from them.  She also enquired as to what the Council was doing to track “ghost” children who had disappeared from teachers’ line of site due to the Covid pandemic.

 

Cllr Philip Atkins indicated that there would be lessons to be learnt for all Councils from the serious case review.  He, together with Cllr Philip White, also referred to the improvements to Children’s Services in Staffordshire in recent years through its transformation programme and, for example, the establishment of the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub. Mr White paid tribute to Cllr Sutton and to the Council’s Director for Children and Families for driving forward the improvements.  Mr Atkins added that Children’s Services in Staffordshire were currently rated as “good” and he reminded Members of their important role as Corporate Parents for those children in the Council’ care.

 

Cllr Parry stated that Ofsted ratings alone did not keep children safe and it was professionalism of Social Workers that played a major factor.  He, together with Cllr Hudson, spoke about the difficulty in recruiting Social Workers both locally and nationally and the need to ensure that all of society shared in the role of keeping children safe.  Cllr Hudson also referred to the particular shortage in male Social Workers and their importance as role models

 

Cllr Edgeller spoke about past failings in the care system and the need for the Council to do everything in its power to keep children safe.  Cllr Philip White and Cllr Hudson referred to the important role residents could play in reporting cases where they suspected abuse may be taking place.

 

Cllr Sutton thanked Members for their comments and informed the Council of some of the measures being taken by the authority to improve its approach to safeguarding, including the implementation of the restorative practice model, the recruitment of 31 more frontline social workers, seven SEND workers, twelve new “front door” social workers to undertake initial assessments, three additional practitioners to review cases and support frontline staff and 24 extra family support workers.  He also referred to improvements in the electronic case management system and the robust systems which were in place for the safeguarding of the county’s children.

 

Cllr Sutton also explained how, during lockdown, Social Workers worked closely with teachers and other partner agencies to ensure the safety of children and he added that visits still took place to the homes of vulnerable children.

 

Cllr Alan White concluded the debate by extending the Council’s thanks to the county’s social workers for their excellent work and commitment.

 

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

(Paragraph 1 of the Statement)

 

In response to a comment from Cllr Greatorex regarding his support for the proposals to extend and refurbish the Hawthorn House lower building to accommodate up to 15 residents, Cllr Jessel stated that she was pleased to reaffirm the Council’s commitment in the services it provided to vulnerable people.  She added that the Council had worked hard to keep the residents of Hawthorn House together in their social group.

 

Climate Change Annual Report and Climate Action Plan Action Plan 2

(Paragraph 2 of the Statement)

 

Cllr Hussain referred to emissions from central heating gas boilers in residential properties and the significant cost implications for households in replacing them with other, more eco-friendly, sources of heating.  In response, Cllr McMahon indicated that the Council would pursue opportunities for Government funding to support homeowners, particularly those suffering fuel poverty.

 

Cllr Hussain also referred to the various actions the Council could take to help tackle climate change through, for example, planting trees and replacing older streetlighting with new LED ones.  He also referred the need for the world’s most carbon emitting countries, such as China, India, USA and Iran, to play their part in tackling climate change.

 

Cllr Clements suggested that the Council needed to look in house as to what additional actions it could take to reduce emissions such as replacing some of its vehicle with electric ones and, when buying goods and services, to choose suppliers who had a “green agenda”.

 

Cllr Charlotte Atkins enquired as to how the Council would monitor progress against the action plan and ensure that its response to climate change was joined up across all service areas.

 

Cllr Winnington referred to the Government proposal to plant more trees and the need for the public sector to work together to reach targets.  Cllr Smith commended the Annual Report and Action Plan and referred to the need for the Council, and its elected Members, to use their influence to encourage others to reduce their emissions.

 

Cllr Price commended the work of Cllr Jessel and Cllr Tagg in developing the Annual Report and Action Plan and stated that climate change was everyone’s responsibility.  He, together with Cllr Deaville, also referred to the work of the Sustainability Board which was made up of relevant portfolio holders from the County Council and the eight District/Borough Councils in Staffordshire.

 

Cllr Philip Atkins referred to the need for behavioural change, for example, by choosing clothes made from natural fibres over synthetic materials.  He also spoke about the role to be played by the agricultural sector in helping to tackle climate change and the need to tackle the emissions from the organisations who were the larger polluters in the County.

 

Formal Report of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

(Paragraph 3 of the Statement)

 

In response to a question from Cllr Charlotte Atkins as to the lessons to be learnt from the findings contained in the Ombudsman’s report, Cllr Price explained that the Council was reviewing approximately 50 other historical cases around transport applications to ensure that the decisions were taken correctly.

 

Impact of Covid-19 on SCC Communities, Economy and Organisation and Recovery Progress – Update October 2021 and Way Forward

(Paragraph 4 of the Statement)

 

Cllr Hussain extended his thanks to frontline staff, residents and the Council for its dedication in tackling the Covid pandemic.  He also spoke about the personal losses faced by families across the County.

 

Cllr Charlotte Atkins referred to the impact of the pandemic on people’s mental health and she also highlighted an issue in Leek where the County Council and Clinical Commissioning Groups had stopped funding a service.  She added that the clients felt abandoned and asked what could be done to bolster community projects. In response, Cllr White undertook to look into the matter.

 

Nexxus Trading Services Limited – Annual Report 2020/21

(Paragraph 6 of the Statement)

 

Cllr Deaville and Cllr Winnington highlighted some of the successes of Nexxus including the 60% growth in its business and an annual turnover of £6.238m.  They, together with Cllr Price, paid tribute to the staff employed by the company, together with the volunteers, for their hard work and commitment.

 

Supplementary Capital Programme for Schools 2021/2022

(Paragraph 7 of the Statement)

 

In response to a question from Cllr Smith concerning schools becoming more environmentally sustainable, Cllr Price indicated that the capital programme contained provision to address climate change and sustainability issues within schools.  He added that there was a new all through school being built in Rugeley which would be a carbon neutral school.

 

Branston Locks Primary - Proposed 2FE and Associated S106 Contributions (Wave School)

(Paragraph 8 of the Statement)

 

Cllr Jessel and Cllr Philip White, in welcoming the proposals for the new school at Branston Locks, referred to the need for other essential infrastructure in the area such as access to primary health care.

 

Staffordshire Bus Strategy - Bus Service Improvement Plan

(Paragraph 9 of the Statement)

 

Cllr Smith asked the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport if he could raise with bus companies operating in Staffordshire the issue of drivers leaving engines running whilst their vehicles were stationary, leading to unnecessary pollution. In response, Cllr David Williams confirmed that this issue had been raised with bus operators

 

In welcoming the Bus Improvement Plan, Cllr Charlotte Atkins also referred to the need for the Council to work with bus operators to ensure that all buses carrying schoolchildren were fitted with seatbelts.  In response, Cllr David Williams confirmed that it was a requirement that all school busses were fitted with seatbelts.

 

Cllr Flunder informed the Council of the work of the Prosperous Overview and Scrutiny Committee in helping to inform the development of the Plan and added that he would welcome Members views and suggestions.

 

Household Support Fund

(Paragraph 10 of the Statement)

 

Cllr Sutton provided an update on how the Household Support Fund had been utilised in Staffordshire including over 25,000 vouchers being issued to parents of children entitled to receive free school meals.  In response to questions from Cllr Hussain regarding how much money the Council was spending in tackling “holiday hunger” and what more could be done to help those in poverty, Cllr Alan White indicated that he would respond in writing regarding spending on holiday hunger and that the Council was working hard to improve the quality of jobs, and thus higher wages, available across the County.

 

Half Yearly Treasury Management Report for the Period Ended 30 September 2021

(Paragraph 11 of the Statement)

 

Cllr Parry gave Members a brief overview of the operation of the Council’s Treasury Management Strategy and explained how cash was being used to fund short term monetary requirements instead of borrowing, adding that this policy was saving taxpayers money.

 

Staffordshire Means Back to Business – Oral Update

(Paragraph 12 of the Statement)

 

Cllr Hudson referred to the difficulties currently being faced by Elks Biscuits in Uttoxeter and the risk of staff redundancies if the company was to cease training.  He added that, if there were redundancies at the company, those affected may need the assistance of the Council’s Redundancy and Recruitment Triage Service.

 

Cllr Hewitt expressed his delight that Cannock Chase District Council had been successful in their Levelling Up Fund bid and had been awarded £20M to support key regeneration schemes in their town centre.  He extended an invitation to the Leader and Deputy Leader to visit Cannock.  Cllr Philip White responded by indicating that he, together with the Leader of the Council, would be pleased to accept the invitation.  He also referred to the McArthur Glen Designer Outlook development in Cannock and the need to ensure that a balance was struck so as to ensure that town centres remained vibrant.

 

COVID-19

(Paragraph 13 of the Statement)

 

Cllr McMahon provided the Council with an update on the current Covid situation both nationally and locally.  He informed Members that the number of new cases of Covid in Staffordshire remained high but slightly below the England average. Case rates were highest in school age children, and hospital admissions remained stable.  He added that the emergence of the Omicron variant of the virus was of concern because it showed significant mutations and there was the possibility that it might escape the immunity conferred either by prior infection or vaccination. Further data was required before it was possible to be confident about the level of the threat posed by the Omicron variant.  With regard to vaccination rates in Staffordshire, 76.9% of care home residents had been fully vaccinated, 74% of those who were housebound had received their booster, and 72% of those over the age of 50 had received their booster.  Cllr McMahon concluded that Covid was likely to be with us for some time and that the Council was maintaining the defences it had put in place.

 

Cllr Huckfield referred to hospital admissions and indicated that four out of five of those in hospital with Covid had not been vaccinated and he urged everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible, not only to protect themselves, but also those with whom they came into contact.

 

Winter Bonus for Home Care Staff

(Paragraph 14 of the Statement)

 

Cllr Philip Atkins spoke about the need for everyone who was eligible to be vaccinated against Covid to get vaccinated so as to reduce the risk to those working in hospitals and the Home Care Sector.  He also referred to the poor take-up of the vaccine in some parts of the County.

 

Cllr Charlotte Atkins welcomed the package of recruitment and retention incentives for staff in the Home Care Sector this winter but indicated that this was unlikely to resolve the longer-term issue of staff shortages.  She also enquired as to the vacancy levels in the sector and how much each member of staff would receive as part of the package of incentives.  In response, Cllr Jessel indicated that, by way of an example, the incentives were being paid to those providers taking-on the more complex care packages; and it could also be used to pay childcare costs for those carers who took-on additional hours. She added that she agreed that the incentives would not tackle the longer-term recruitment and retention issues in the sector, however, if the Council were to receive a three-year financial settlement from the Government, this would improve its ability to plan for the longer-term including the funding paid to the Home Care sector.  Cllr Jessel also referred to the need to improve the status of those working in the profession which would, in-turn, make the jobs more attractive.

 

Winter Operations

(Paragraph 15 of the Statement)

 

Cllr David Williams paid tribute to the teams undertaking the winter operations on the County’s roads, often in difficult and challenging weather conditions.  The Chairman added that he, together with the Vice-Chairman, were to visit some of the Highway Depots to personally extend the Council’s thanks to the teams.  Cllr Alan White also extended his thanks to the teams.

 

SWAR

(Paragraph 16 of the Statement)

 

Cllr Price, Cllr Winnington and Cllr Pert praised the Council staff and partner organisations on the construction of the Stafford Western Access Route (SWAR) which had opened recently.  Cllr Philip Atkins added that the scheme was an excellent example as to how the Council could deliver large projects locally by working with partners such as the Local Enterprise Partnership.

 

In response to a question from Cllr Smith concerning safety audits on new roads, Cllr David Williams confirmed that once a new highway had been in use for a short while checks were undertaken to ensure it met the expected safety standards. 

 

Cllr Pert added that the project was part of the vision to regenerate the High Street in Stafford.  Cllr Alan White added that there were a number of other major highway projects in the pipeline including along the A50 – A500 corridor (North Midlands Manufacturing Corridor) and on the A38.

 

2021 Community Fund

(Paragraph 17 of the Statement)

 

Cllr Flunder extended his thanks to Officers and to the Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture for extending the deadline for the submission of applications under the Community Fund.  He added that the Fund had made a big difference to many local communities.

 

In response to a question from Cllr Charlotte Atkins, Cllr Wilson and Cllr Alan White confirmed that there was a rigorous process in place to ensure that spending under the Fund was audited and that this included collecting “evidence of spend” to show that the grant had been used for the purpose for which it had been given.

 

2021

(Paragraph 18 of the Statement)

 

Cllr Hussain wished his fellow Members a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  Cllr Alan White thanked Cllr Hussain and added that 2021 had been a difficult year and that he hoped that Members would be able to take some well-earned time off over the Christmas period.

 

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