Agenda and draft minutes

A minute’s silence was held for Alderman Joseph ‘Harry’ Matthews who had passed away earlier this week.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Simon Tagg led the tributes  to Harry who had served as Councillor, Deputy Leader of the Council and Mayor.

Although the Leader had not served alongside Harry on the Council, he had met him many times and had served alongside Harry’s son Ian. On behalf of himself and his group, the Leader sent condolences to his family.

Councillor John Williams echoed the Leader’s words and stated that Harry’s door was always open to give advice and he treaded members from all groups in a friendly and courteous manner.

Watch the tributes here

To receive declarations of interest from Members on items contained within this agenda.

There were no declarations of interest stated.

To consider the Minutes of the previous meeting(s)

Resolved:              That the minutes of the meeting held on 23 July, 2025 be agreed as a correct record.

The Mayor made three announcements:

The ‘Music under the Stars’ charity event, this coming Friday had been cancelled and would be replaced by another event in May, 2026.

The Mayoral walk, scheduled for Tuesday 30 September had been moved to Sunday 5 October.

The remaining walks would then follow on Sunday 12 October; Saturday 25 October and Sunday 8 November which requires booking would end at the Brampton Museum with ‘cream tea and fizz’. 

Craig Turner left the room during consideration of this item.

The Leader introduced a report seeking Council’s formal agreement to the appointment of the Service Director for Finance and Section 151 Officer following the current postholder, Sarah Wilkes leaving the Authority in mid-October. The Leader advised Council of Craig Turner’s previous experience.

Sarah was thanked for her work over many years and wished all the best for the future.  This would be her last meeting before taking on her new role with the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s office.

Following Council’s approval of appointment, Mr Turner returned to the room and was congratulated.  

Resolved:    (i)       That the appointment of Craig Turner as the Council’s

Service Director for Finance and Section 151 Officer be approved.

(ii)      That Mr Turner be appointed on a salary of £63,510.68 per

annum with an additional £10,000 per annum Statutory Officer allowance.

Watch the debate here

The Leader introduced a report on the Council’s Annual Report for 2024-25 which provided a summary of work and outcomes achieved during the first year of the Council’s 2022-2026 Council Plan.   A copy of the Annual report was appended to the report.

The Leader outlined some of the achievements of the past year which included the momentum on the regeneration of the Borough; maintaining a balanced budget and delivering high quality services; the opening of Keele in Town.  In Kidsgrove, plans were underway for the town centre and railway station developments.

Councillor Sweeney stated that, in reference to the balanced budget it had been achieved by feasible and sustainable savings through the Efficiency Board process.  Savings and Funding strategies had enabled continued investment via the Civic Growth Fund.  The One Council Programme had made recurrent savings of £1.173m year after year.

Members discussed and complimented upon the Annual Report.

Resolved:    That the Council’s Annual Report for 2024-2025 be received.

Watch the debate here

The Portfolio Holder for Finance, Town Centres and Growth introduced the Treasury Management Annual Report for 2024/25, which had been produced in line with legislative requirements.

As of 31 March, 2025 no external borrowing had been undertaken by the Council. 

The Leader stated that national policy governed the way in which the Council managed its money when using it, for example, to raise interest.  Factors such as the economy and interest rates would have an impact and the economy needed to grow to benefit authorities both locally and nationally.

Resolved:              (i)       That the Treasury Management Annual Report for

2024/25 be noted.

Watch the debate here

The Leader introduced a report asking Members to note a decision made by the Council’s Chief Executive to re-allocate seats on committees following Councillor Beeston joining the Conservative Group.

Resolved:    That the Urgent Decision notification be received.

Watch the debate here

The Leader, Councillor Simon Tagg presented the statement that had been circulated about the activities and decisions made by Cabinet to allow questions and comments.

Questions were raised and responses were provided as follows.

On paragraph 2 – Walleys Quarry Odour Issues

Councillor Adcock asked the Leader if he agreed that it was concerning that there was still no timetable for a public inquiry which was one of the key recommendations coming from the Inquiry held here at Newcastle last year but were still awaiting a response.   Did the Leader also agree that it was regrettable that there had been no clear response from the Government.

The Leader agreed, stating that since publication of the agenda, a response had been received from the new Secretary of State but unfortunately she did not wish to consent to a public inquiry.  A copy of the letter would be sent to Members. 

There had been a significant reduction in complaints regarding odours from the site through the effective works and management of the contractors brought in by the Environment Agency (EA) and the Council continued to press for the permanent capping and restoration of the site and opposed any reopening of the site.  The government, EA and local MP would continue to be pressed for a public  inquiry.

On paragraph 3 – Medium Term Financial Strategy 2026-27 to 2030-31

Councillor Berrisford welcomed the Council’s commitment to prudent financial planning and the focus on maintaining a balanced budget.  The Portfolio Holder for Finance, Town Centres and Growth was asked what contingency plans were in place within the MTFS to mitigate potential funding shortfalls, given the uncertainty around future government financial settlements.

The Portfolio Holder stated that the MTFS had been developed with a strong emphasis on resilience and adaptability, recognising the ongoing uncertainty around future government financial settlements.  To mitigate financial shortfalls, the Council had embedded a number of contingency measures including maintaining a prudent level of reserves, regularly reviewing service efficiencies and scenario planning to model different funding outcomes.  Opportunities were also being explored to diversify income streams via the commercial strategy.

The Council continues to lobby central government for fair and sustainable funding. 

On paragraph 4 – Kidsgrove Town Deal Update and Contract Awards

Councillor Holland was pleased with the progress made on the Town Deal.  The Leader or Portfolio Holder for Finance, Town Centres and Growth  were asked how Many job opportunities were forecast with the development at Chatterley Valley West.

The Portfolio Holder stated that he went to the site recently and the progress on the development was substantial.  In previous discussions of the development, the portfolio holder had mentioned the creation of 1800 jobs.  However, information was now being received from the County Council that it could be more than 1800.

On paragraph 5 – Newcastle -under-Lyme Borough Local Plan 2020-40

Councillor John Williams asked, when the Inspector talked about parking within the town centre, did she take into account the sale of car parks by the Council.  There  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

a)       Finance, Assets and Performance Scrutiny Committee

b)       Economy and Place Scrutiny Committee

c)       Health, Wellbeing and Environment Scrutiny Committee

Reports for the Economy and Place Scrutiny Committee, the Health Wellbeing and Environment Scrutiny Committee and the Finance, Assets and Performance Scrutiny Committee were attached to the agenda.

Resolved:    That the reports be received.

Watch the debate here

a)       Planning Committee

b)       Licensing and Public Protection Committee

Reports for the Planning Committee and the Licensing and Public Protection Committee were attached to the agenda.

Members were advised that the Audit and Standards Committee had not met since the last meeting of the Full Council.

Resolved:    That the reports be received.

Watch the debate here

A Motion is attached concerning inappropriate accommodation for Asylum Seekers in Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough.

A Motion, concerning inappropriate accommodation for Asylum Seekers in Newcastle-under-Lyme was submitted by the Conservative Group, proposed by Councillor Holland and seconded by Councillor Fear.

Councillor Holland introduced the Motion which expressed concerns regarding the unsuitability of housing Asylum seekers in Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO’s) or short term lets as they often lacked the necessary support infrastructure.

Since publication of the agenda, in respect of resolution 6, a response had been received from Adam Jogee MP which had been circulated this evening.

Councillor Fear seconded the Motion and reserved the right to speak in the debate.

Following a lengthy debate, the Leader in summing up stated that the Motion addressed growing concerns, both locally and nationally for the placement of Asylum Seekers in appropriate accommodation.  It was about standing up for residents and those seeking refuge by demanding that the system worked.

A vote was taken and the Motion was carried.

Watch the debate here

Question from Councillor Jacqueline Brown to the Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Environment:

“In the summer of 2023 I contacted officers as a result of residents` complaints regarding bins left out all week in narrow terraced areas. This anti social behaviour causes obstruction and hazards to anyone using the pavement, particularly wheelchair uses and those pushing prams & pushchairs. It also makes the area look very untidy.

Around this time The Sentinel ran an article about the City of Stoke-on-Trent issuing fixed penalty notices to habitual offenders. Officers informed me they were setting up a similar scheme and I was asked to identify hot spots, which I did including Kinsey St, West Street and George Street. Fellow councillors inform me this is a problem in other wards.

However, to my knowledge no fixed penalty notices have yet been issued. Could the portfolio holder give us an update please?”

The Portfolio Holder stated that a procedure had been approved in August 2023.  This was a staged approach to enforcement as follows:  Education.  Letters and fliers were sent to the hotspot areas.  There then followed a three staged approach:  A warning letter sent to properties where issues had continued; this would be followed up by a community protection warning which outlined what was expected of the householder; finally, a community protection notice would be issued identifying the expectations and requirements that the owner/occupier needed to follow and asked them to comply with the notice.  Failure to comply would result in a £100 Fixed Penalty Notice.  Since approval of the scheme, the Neighbourhood Delivery team had carried out extensive work in a number of Wards.

Officers visited Kinsey Street, George Street and Church Street in Silverdale delivering letters and knocking on doors giving advice.  A small number of bins were abandoned and subsequently uplifted.  One resident in Kinsey Street did receive a fine.

Ward members were urged to encourage residents to report such issues so that they could be actioned.

Councillor Brown asked a supplementary question:

“Just to confirm, did you say that one resident was fined on Kinsey Street”

The Portfolio Holder confirmed this.

Question from Councillor Andrew Parker to  the Leader of the Council:

“Deakins Yard (formerly the Sky Building) has been in the news again recently, following the Health & Safety Executive’s decision to block the opening of the student flats due to safety concerns. Can the Leader of the Council provide an update on any further developments?

The Labour MP for Newcastle, in media interviews, stated that he wants answers as to why this student flats development was granted permission. Does the Leader agree with me that he should be looking closer to home to find those answers?”

The Leader stated that Building Control Officers dealing with the Newcastle area raised the alarm in December, 2024 identifying potential risks and alerted the Building Safety Regulator and their evidence prevented occupation of the building.  From that point, the Council worked closely with the Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service and ensured that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

To receive from Members any petitions which they wish to present to the Council.

No petitions were handed in.

To consider any communications which pursuant to Section B4, Rule 9 of the constitution are, in the opinion of the Mayor, of an urgent nature and to pass thereon such resolutions as may be  deemed necessary.

There was no urgent business.

To resolve that the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following report(s) as it is likely that there will be disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs contained within Part 1 of Schedule 12A (as amended) of the Local Government Act 1972.

There were no confidential reports.