Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest on this occasion.

Decision – That the notes of the meeting held on 19 July 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 Council’s extra investment in Staffordshire’s roads with an extra £5m on pothole repairs this year, and an extra £30m in large repairs, resurfacing and junction upgrades over the next two years including improvement of the A5121 Claymills interchange and Derby Road in Burton, the new roundabout on the A34 outside Stafford for the Pets At Home facility, a scheme to resurface a busy junction, install new traffic lights and upgrade pedestrian crossings in Lichfield and new drainage on the A34 in Stone; securing £5m of Government funding earlier this month for electric vehicle charging points across Staffordshire; the Authority’s rapid response to national issues with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, with every school that the county council is responsible for remaining open; the need for more foster carers to come forwards and provide stable homes for vulnerable children; and the emergence of a new variant of Covid-19 with all vulnerable residents being encouraged to get their Covid booster and flu jab; be noted.

Decision – That the minutes of the meeting of the Property Sub-Committee held on 6 September 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 a decline of 90 claimants in Staffordshire which contrasted with an increase seen nationally.  The total number of claimants in the county now stands at 14,955 or 2.8% of the working age population.  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 4.9%, and lower than the average for England of 3.8%.

·       The youth claimant count in Staffordshire saw an increase of 65 claimants to a total of 2,885 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 5.0% and far lower than the regional rate of 6.7%.  The continued increase in the youth claimant count highlights the importance of continuing to engage with our younger residents and support them to find employment or continue in some form of education or training.

·       Our Staffordshire Jobs and Careers Service has been focusing on results day recently for both GCSE’s and A-Level students, promoting the support the team can offer with advice and signposting. Our Employment Brokers have been supporting people across the county, whether they have received their grades in order to follow their favoured path, or maybe need some advice on where to turn next and consider other avenues such as employment, apprenticeships or alternative training.

·       I am also pleased to report that two members of the Jobs and Careers Service team recently had a visit with the Minister for Social Mobility, Youth and Progression Mims Davis to discuss how they support candidates with challenges in accessing the employment market and our support for ex-service men and women. I’m pleased to say that the Minister was very impressed in our success to date and the companies we work in partnership with to support people into employment.

·       In terms of job vacancies, there was a 15% increase in across Staffordshire compared to a 13% increase nationally between July and August.  Demand for labour and skills remains high, with there currently being 1.6 jobs available for every claimant within the county, and therefore our focus continues to be to support those who find themselves unemployed to secure one of those jobs.

·       Unfortunately, we have recently heard the news of the Wilko insolvency, which is due to the continued impact of the shift in shopping habits across the country. We have convened a taskforce comprised of senior representatives of the County Council, Borough and District Councils, Department for Work & Pensions and the National Careers Service to exchange information and consider our support offer, including the deployment of our Jobs & Careers Services if and when appropriate.  Positively, there are currently around 1,000 retail jobs being advertised within the county,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 29.

Cabinet Member for Education (and SEND)

Reasons for the Decision – To consider the proposed Strategy for Special Provision and the creation of a Staffordshire Children and Young People’s Framework, two major strategies designed to deliver outcomes related to the SEND Accelerated Progress Plan.

Decision – (a) That the actions set out in the Accelerated Progress Plan continue to be endorsed.

(b) That the proposed Enhanced Assess-Plan-Do-Review (EAPDR) Pathway and Strategy for Special Provision be endorsed.

(c) That delegated authority be given to the Director for Children and Families for allocating funding for the 8 Staffordshire Enhanced District Inclusion Support Teams (SEDIS).

(d) That Authority be given to enter into contractual agreements with schools to deliver the SEDIS Model.

(e) That the proposal to develop a Children & Young People’s Framework to enable Officer’s to procure timely, value for money pre-statutory support where required, be endorsed:

(i)         Approval be given to conduct an open tender process in line with Staffordshire County Council’s Procurement Regulations and the Public Contract Regulations.

(ii)        That the award of the Staffordshire Children and Young Peoples Framework be delegated to the Director for Children and Families and that the award of call-off contracts under the Framework be sub-delegated in line with the Council’s procurement Regulations.

If appropriate, delegated authority for alternative approval of ’high’ volumes of call-off contracts will be sought as per D13.5 of the Council’s Procurement Regulations.

Cabinet Member for Environment, Infrastructure and Climate Change

Reasons for the Decision – To consider the Staffordshire Adaptation Strategy which will provide a suitable framework to allow individual councils to develop their own Adaptation delivery plans, encouraging consistency and partnership working across the councils and other partners in a collaborative nature.

Decision – (a) That the Staffordshire Adaptation Strategy be noted and approved.

(b) That the development of a Staffordshire County Council Adaptation Plan, that ensures all services and portfolios consider adaptation in their day-to-day work and decision making, be approved.

Cabinet Member for Health and Care

Reasons for the Decision – To consider the recommissioning of the Shared Lives service to provide continuity of care for individuals and ensure an ongoing good quality service that offers value for money.

Decision – (a) That the procurement of the Staffordshire Shared Lives service contract via a competitive tender, in order to appoint a suitable provider who can offer a good quality service and value for money, be approved.

(b) That approval for the contract to be awarded to the successful provider be delegated to the Director of Health and Care.

(c) That the extension of the current Shared Lives service contract for up to 12 months, in the event of an unsuccessful procurement, to enable the Council to consider alternative options, be approved.

Cabinet Member for Health and Care, and Cabinet Member for Environment, Infrastructure and Climate Change

Reasons for the Decision – To consider approving expenditure of the Home Upgrade Grant Phase 2 and the subsequent procurements to secure providers for services to make thermal improvements to people’s homes, in line with the conditions of the Grant.

Decision – (a) That the award to the Council of the Home Upgrade Grant Phase 2 of £10.5m be noted.

(b) That expenditure of the Home Upgrade Grant Phase 2, as set out in paragraph 7 of the report, be approved.

(c) That authority be delegated to the Director of Health and Care to complete a compliant procurement process and appoint providers to oversee and install thermal efficiency measures in people’s homes, in-line with the Grant conditions and approved expenditure.

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

The Forward Plan of Key Decisions for the period 18 October 2023 to 20 March 2024, which detailed the following issues, was approved: