Agenda item

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 stated that he would like to see more information from the Environment Agency (EA) that was available to residents, regarding the long term future for the site such as the future restoration and funding settlement.  Councillor Adcock asked the Leader if he agreed that the EA should hold a public meeting as soon as possible where residents could have their questions answered.

 

The Leader agreed, stating that interaction with the public by the EA was important.  In a recent meeting with the EA and other partners, the Leader had asked if they would be willing to convene the liaison committee and they had said that it would be considered.  A stakeholders meeting was really important, especially with what could happen in the autumn and when the BUND money had run out.

 

Councillor Whieldon stated that residents were pleased that odours had diminished but were anxious about any  possible future recurrence and were therefore seeking assurance that the EA would continue to do the job properly.

 

The Leader stated that it was important for the monitoring equipment to come back to Silverdale Pumping Station, if required.   The EA had stated that they were discontinuing the dedicated Walleys Quarry reporting system in favour of a standard national one.

 

Council staff were dealing with any odour complaints and any received were being investigated.

 

On paragraph 3 – Fields In Trust

 

Councillor Holland asked the Leader if he welcomed the news that Village Green status had been given to three green spaces in the Westlands ward and if he agreed that the extra protection would compliment the protection given by the Fields in Trust status and stop development of the sites.

 

The Leader welcomed the decision by Staffordshire County Council’s Rights of Way Committee for this and stated that it was down to the dedication of residents making the application.  Repton Drive, Winchester Drive and Clayton Field would now be pout on the list of Village Green and would also be put into the Fields in Trust applications.

 

Councillor Whieldon asked if there was potential for increasing the number of parks and open spaces from the 88 mentioned in the report.

 

The Leader stated that there were more Village Green status applications in the pipeline and more sites were being sought to put into the Fields in Trust.

 

On paragraph 4 – Devolution and Forced Local Government Reorganisation Update

 

Councillor Fear recalled that, at the last meeting, it was noted that Staffordshire Moorlands District Council did not seem to be cognizant on this Council’s position on the  compulsory reorganisation and a letter was sent to them in that respect.  The Leader was asked if any reply had been received back and if he agreed that Staffordshire Moorlands had surrendered to the process despite their residents being hostile towards it.

 

The Leader stated that no response had been received from them.   They had agreed their proposal at a meeting last week which was a merger with Stoke, taking in part of Stone  and Uttoxeter who were against it.   One of Newcastle’s proposals was to talk with Staffordshire Moorlands regarding a North Staffordshire Unitary authority, excluding Stoke.

 

The Leader stated that Karen Bradbury MP was against the reorganisation so he did not feel that Staffordshire Moorlands had surrendered to the process.

 

Councillor Turnock stated that the Council had set aside £200,000 to pay for the forced local government reorganisation.  A previous Cabinet report had referred to money coming from central government to work up proposals and the Leader was asked if any money had been received.

 

The Leader stated that £366,000 had been allotted to the ten Councils in Staffordshire.  In the early stages, there would have been none coming to Newcastle but an appeal had been made to the Ministry to ensure that a fair share was received.  Funding allocations would be announced next month.

 

The Leader stated that discussions had been held with Shropshire and there were upcoming discussions with Telford and Leaders of other Districts within the County.

 

On paragraph 5 – Kidsgrove Town Deal Update

 

Councillor Stubbs referred to the £1.9m, allocated to support a new package of initiatives.  The Portfolio Holder for Finance, Town Centres and Growth was asked if the £1.9m was an additional sum that had been received or if it was a reallocation within the current budget and if so, which projects had it been taken from.

 

The Leader advised that the £1.9m had come from the money for the shared hub development which was included with the Town Deal Fund.

 

Councillor Skelding welcomed the amount received but was disappointed that it was vastly reduced from what had been previously promised. 

Councillor Burnett-Faulkner was delighted to welcome the further investment in Kidsgrove via the Town Deal money.   £1.9m on enterprise units, a learning centre, towpath improvements and improvements to the public realm would benefit everyone.  The Leader was asked to give an update on progress relating to the station refurbishment.

 

The Leader stated that a refurbishment of the station could now move forward.  The Town Deal Board had met earlier in the week and officers had been asked to go back to the Government and ask for a plan to be agreed – a full refurbishment of the station but not the car park.  The designs for the scheme looked good and would be a credit to Kidsgrove.  Any money left would be allocated to other schemes within Kidsgrove.

 

Councillor Whieldon stated that Harecastle Tunnel and the canal were becoming tourist spots so a refurbished station would compliment it.

 

On paragraph 6 – Financial and Performance Review Report – 4^th Quarter 2024/25

 

Councillor Crisp asked the Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Heritage and Culture what plans were in place to promote the new Brampton Museum Supporters Group and inspire more people to become involved.  Would it include the use of social media, community events or collaborations with local schools and businesses?

 

The Leader advised that the Museum had been brought up on this part of the agenda because it was performing well and was a credit to the Borough and could be one of the assets lost under the forced local government reorganisation.

 

The Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Heritage and Culture, Councillor Skelding stated that the supporters group, launched last Friday was in part, a continuation of the Friends of the Museum group.  Social media was being used to promote the supporters group.  School events had always proved useful for promoting the site.

 

Councillor Bryan asked the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Town Centres and Growth for an update on the Council’s financial revenue budget outturn figure at the end of the last financial year.

 

The Portfolio Holder for Finance, Town Centres and Growth stated that there was a surplus of £20,000 in the revenue budget.

 

Councillor Skelding, referring to the third paragraph of item 6 stated that J2 was doing well with current membership at 4,19. The wellbeing centre referral programme was engaged with 470 referrals of which 60% were converting to full membership.  Twelve schools had confirmed their involvement with swimming lessons and three more were being awaited for confirmation.

 

Councillor Whieldon stated that her residents were pleased with the street cleanliness levels and wished to pass on congratulations to the Streetscene team through the Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Environment.

 

The Portfolio Holder, Councillor Hutchison was proud of his team and, after updating Members on the performance of the Streetscene team, thanked Councillor Whieldon for her comments.

 

On paragraph 7 – Civic Pride Update

 

Councillor Gorton was pleased to hear that the draft Civic Pride Strategy would be referred to the Council’s Scrutiny Committees  and suggested that the Strategy could have a specific pillar of work, working with schools and the college and university.

 

The Leader stated that this was a good point and Councillor Gorton could put that forward at a Scrutiny Committee in due course.

 

Councillor Adcock welcomed the Strategy.   At a recent visit to a school within his ward, he was encouraged to see the children being encouraged to take pride in and learn about where they lived.

 

The Leader stated that the benefits of civic pride could be seen in the community and there were more awards to come. An event was planned in the Guildhall and in Kidsgrove, regarding the consultation, where people would be encouraged to give feedback on the strategy.

 

Resolved:    That the statement of the Leader of the Council be received and

noted.

 

Watch the debate here