Agenda and minutes

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

Decision – That the notes of the meeting held on 20 September 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 terrorist attack on Israel earlier this month and the Council’s call on everyone in Staffordshire, whatever their views, to express those views with toleration and respect, and to stand firmly against the antisemitism and islamophobia; the Government’s decision to scrap the HS2 project between Birmingham and Manchester and the need to complete Phase One as planned which is crucial to fulfil the wider growth plans for Stafford; the Council continuing to argue for investment in the A50/A500 corridor, stretching from Cheshire, through Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire into the East Midlands; the Council’s on-going work to fix potholes, resurface and improve roads across the county including the completion of work on two busy junctions on Eastern Avenue in Lichfield, the resurfacing of the A34 Stone Road in Stafford, a further £500,000 improvement to the A38 Claymills Junction in Burton and work to resurface the road and footpaths on Broad Street in Leek; the Prime Minister’s plans to create a smokefree generation, stopping the sales of tobacco to under 14s; and the on-going work to reduce the county’s carbon emissions to net zero including the 10th anniversary of the Energy Recovery Facility at Four Ashes;be noted. 

Decision – That the minutes of the meeting of the Property Sub-Committee held on 4 October 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: 

·       It is important that we acknowledge the localised difficulties the delivery of our Economic Strategy sometimes creates for communities who live near that investment activity.  The Chatterley Valley employment site being one such scheme where the ongoing closure of Peacock Hay Road is causing difficulties for local road users.  I would like to reassure Cabinet and of course the local population, that Officers are working hard with the developer Harworths, following their contractor Buckinghams going into administration, to find an urgent solution to this issue so that we can get the road back open.  A further update will be broughtto the next Cabinet meeting.  In the meantime, it is perhaps worth remembering that the scheme will unlock a 43-hectare employment site which will generate around 1,700 jobs, Gross Value-Added Benefits of £67 million per annum and £60 million of private sector investment.  It will make a big impact but of course this doesn’t lessen the inconvenience currently being felt be the local road users. 

·       The Council is committed to not only creating opportunities for business start-up and grow on activity, but also supporting our major employers by securing the right infrastructure for Staffordshire’s needs while balancing the interests of businesses and local people 

·       We have always objected in principle to the impact that HS2 would have had on our rural communities and beautiful landscape.  Following the Government’s announcement not to build the route north of Birmingham, we were pleased to see, through the Network North announcement, that funding will be provided for improvements to the A50/500 corridor between Stoke and Derby through Staffordshire, cutting congestion for the 90,000 drivers who use the road each day and ensuring smoother journeys for drivers and freight.  We are awaiting the detail around this announcement. 

·       We have gathered a coalition of like-minded authorities along the A50 A500 corridor and have secured their support to press hard for further investment activity along his route to support our major manufacturers.  The development of this programme will centre around deliverable decarbonisation and energy use including smart clusters considering new hydrogen applications, innovation, skills and enhanced technologies.  This initiative representsperhaps the most ambitious economic opportunity in the Midlands and the North and will secure significant additional benefits for our County, in conjunction with delivering the promised route improvements. 

·       The Network North announcement also included investment in upgrading J15 of the M6 in Newcastle-under-Lyme, improvements to the A5 between Hinckley and Tamworth, the reopening of the Leek to Stoke railways line and the opening of the Ivanhoe Line between Burton and Leicester, currently only for freight, to passenger services. In addition to these announcements, we will be pushing government to provide further improvements to our infrastructure to support Staffordshire businesses,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40.

Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources

Reasons for the Decision – To consider an overview of the progress in relation to delivering the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41.

The Forward Plan of Key Decisions for the period 15 November 2023 to 20 March 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)

Leader of the Council

(Exemption paragraph 3) 

Note by Clerk: Councillor Deaville declared an interest as a Director of Nexxus and left the room during the consideration of this item. 

Reasons for the Decision – To consider the Nexxus Care (Nexxus Trading Services Limited) Annual Report 2022/23. 

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

(Exemption paragraph 3)

Cabinet Member for Children and Young People

(Exemption paragraph 3) 

Reasons for the Decision – To consider details of the use of unregulated placements. 

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

Alan White 

Leader of the Council