Agenda and minutes

None.

To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting held on 12 February 2026.

RESOLVED – that the minutes of the meeting held on 12 February 2026 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair. 

To receive a verbal update from the Leader of the Council.

The Leader announced that an expression of interest had been put forward that Telford become the first UK Town of Culture in 2028 which would coincide with the 60th birthday of Telford as a new town.  A cultural strategy was already underway and would form part of the bid.  The Council would be working with Town and Parish Councils, together with community and cultural organisations across the borough to help form the bid.  A further six other towns within Shropshire would be submitting a bid and it was felt that given the borough’s rich history, heritage and culture there was a fantastic chance of being shortlisted.

The Leader announced that the council had secured one of the West Midlands first Valour Hubs, which would provide one-stop support for local veterans.   Locally there were 16,000 armed forces personnel and families, with at least 8,000 veterans. A grant of £670,000 pounds, received from the government, would build on the fantastic work that had already been started by the Council and its partners such as the Christopher Turley Armed Forces Community Hub in Dawley.  He thanked Councillor Davies, MP for Telford, as well as the Officers for all of their work to secure the funding.  This built on the budget in relation to discounting 100% of the veterans' compensation enabling them to attract benefits.   During the coming year the first 10 homes would be purchased to provide housing for local veterans.

The Leader confirmed that the Council had been announced in the next phase of the youth hubs which was a partnership between the government, DWP and local authorities.   The location of the hub was yet to be confirmed but it was great to see a government, the MP, and the Council working together for the betterment of residents and delivering projects which would make a real difference across our borough.

To receive an update on the progress made with the delivery of the Council’s Economic Development Strategy.

The Cabinet Member: The Economy & Transport presented the Economic Development Strategy Update which highlighted the activity and progress of inward investment and business support in the delivery of the council’s economic development strategy following its launch in 2024.  Significant progress had been made during the last two years attracting inward investment and promoting the borough as a great place to live, work and study.  Work had continued to support businesses through the delivery of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) Thrive Telford programme and the launch of the Invest Telford Partnership.  Greater emphasis had been placed on strategic collaboration and deepening activity with local skills providers to increase the talent pipeline and give opportunities for local people to go far but stay near and to support residents into good quality employment as well as investing in our high streets.

The report highlighted the council’s strong track record of investment and it being a regional leader in productivity growth and this had been reflected by the real-life examples of businesses who recognised the value of the Invest Telford teams.  Engagement had taken place with over 300 local businesses during the last year including start-ups, SMEs, scale ups and strategic employers across key sectors such as manufacturing, professional services, digital and low carbon providers.  A further key sector of the council’s economy was defence with its historic specialisms as well as its national priority. The borough had a longstanding defence manufacturing and engineering heritage which was underpinned by major operation and industrial assets such as MOD Donnington.  In May 2025, Rheinmetall had announced that Telford was the new location for its calibre barrel production facility and was a landmark in inward investment for the borough creating more than 400 jobs for local people and injecting £400m into the UK economy over the next decade.

The West Midlands Combined Authority was working to develop a West Midlands Defence and Security Cluster with the Invest Telford team being actively involved.  Through this work almost 2,500 jobs had been created together with within £4.5 million pounds in business rates which had been reinvested into frontline services with a commitment to keep council tax the lowest in the Midlands.

In conclusion, Councillor Vickers expressed that the UKSPF programme had played a big part in driving economic growth across the borough and rather than operating as a standalone funding pot, UKSPF has been fully integrated into the wider economic development approach supporting business growth, innovation, skills development and productivity with 77 projects  having been contracted through the SME grant and innovation programme representing a total value of £575,000.  Of this, £375,000 have been provided through UKSPF grant funding with the remaining £200,000 secured through private sector investment.  This level of match funding demonstrated business confidence together with programs ability to stimulate additional economic activity. He thanked the local business community for their continued innovation, drive and commitment, as well as the officers at the council who were essential to delivering sustainable economic growth across Telford and Wrekin.  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB-57

To approve the Contaminated Land Strategy.

The Cabinet Member: Highways, Housing & Enforcement presented the Contaminated Land Strategy which provided an update on the process for considering and regulating contaminated land across the borough.  The report set out how the council would continue to protect local communities and the environment so that it was safe for current and future use.  Although the borough had a long and proud industrial history, it was vital that the council remained vigilant with regards to land contamination.  The Strategy provided a clear, modern framework which was aligned with the Environmental Protection Act and would replace the previous 2013 Strategy.   Inspection duties and assessing and prioritising sites played an important role in managing and remediating land where development took place.  The Strategy reinforced the commitment to transparency through the publicly accessible contaminated land register.  Emphasis was given that through the work of the Environment Agency and the Landowner that the only site ever classed as contaminated had now been fully reclassified and removed from the public register.  As a result of this there was currently no land within Telford and Wrekin that was classed as contaminated.  This demonstrated that the processes were working with strong partnerships and the effective management of the industrial past.  The Policy ensured the proactive monitoring and assessment of sites and intervention to protect public health would be undertaken if required.

In summary, Councillor Overton reported that this updated strategy strengthened the protection of the local environment, and supported safe development giving continued confidence to residents, businesses and developers.

Cabinet Members reiterated that it was important for the council to understand the potential risks of contaminated land and that there were controls in place to limit pollution of land and water and that by having the strategy in place it would allow the identification of any potential risks.  If land was to come forward through the planning process, it would enable the risk to be understood and any remedial action on historic contamination to be taken.

RESOLVED that:

a)    the Contaminated Land Strategy be approved;

b)   delegated authority be granted to the Director Neighbourhood & Enforcement Services, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Enforcement, to make ongoing changes to the strategy as required; and

c)    the development of an Action Plan to provide the framework for ongoing monitoring and management of contaminated land within the borough be endorsed.

To adopt the Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Local Recovery Strategy.

Councillor C Healy, Cabinet Member: Neighbourhoods, Planning & Sustainability presented the Adoption of Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) which sought approval for the adoption of Local Nature Reserves and the grant of delegated power to the Director of Prosperity and Investment in consultation with the relevant Cabinet Member.  She welcomed the Lead Officer from Shropshire to the meeting and thanked her for the hard work, along with officers at Telford, to ensure that the strategy had been developed in collaboration with landowners, stakeholders and residents.

The main function of the LNRS was to address the decline in biodiversity in the UK as part of the Environment Act 2021.  The council had a moral duty to preserve species and habitats as well as addressing the declining biodiversity which could pose a risk to food, water quality and the wider public health. 

The Strategy identified valuable habitats and those areas that potentially required improvement to help nature recovery and support more wild flora and fauna.  The goal was to create habitats that were larger, more numerous and better connected.  If habitats could be connected via green spaces, then species could expand their populations and move.   A key part of the Strategy highlighted areas that were already protected such as Local Nature Reserves and sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) and the buffer zones which added to the protection of the sites.  It was about making sensitive changes to the management of the sites working alongside landowners and land managers.

Engagement events had taken place throughout the course of the development of the Strategy as well as direct engagement with Town and Parish Council and SALK events.  Friends of Parks groups and the Telford Green Space Partnership had also engaged.  

The Strategy would give a strong evidence base for directing agricultural grants and subsidies as well as other funding initiatives and it was felt that  evidence base was key.  In Telford and Wrekin, the LNRS had been developed alongside the Local Plan so the two plans could be aligned in terms of spatial planning and policies that would inform future decision making and the approach to biodiversity net gain of up to 20%.

The Strategy was linked to other strategic policies including the Health and Wellbeing Strategy in that access to nature has a significant positive effect on our physical and mental health.   It was also important to work alongside the Climate Change Action Plan and the Climate Adaption Strategy in relation to carbon reduction and resilience to climate change.

Natural England was the government body who would oversee the process and they considered that the Strategy was sound, comprehensive and well-written.

Cabinet Members supported the adoption of the LNRS which reflected the responsibility to protect the environment and the commitment to the long-term wellbeing of the residents.  It set out practical locally led action which would restore habitats and strengthen biodiversity, as well as improving connectivity across the borough. Working constructively with landowners, communities and partners was key and  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB-59