Agenda and draft minutes

None.

To approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on 6 January 2025.

RESOLVED – that the minutes of the meeting held on 6 January 2025 be confirmed and signed by the Chair.

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

None.

To receive an update on the Council’s financial monitoring position.

The Cabinet Member: Finance, Governance & Customer Services presented the report of the Director: Finance, People & IDT.

Since the last update presented to Cabinet in January 2025, the national picture had remained the same with many Councils continuing to face extreme challenges around Adult Social Care, however these pressures had begun to stabilise.

The report set out the latest financial monitoring position for the year relating to the revenue budget, capital programme and income collection.  It provided the latest projections in relation to the projected outturn which was expected to be over budget by £4.713m at year end, however noted a further reduction of £0.119m since the last financial monitoring and that the use of budget contingencies would bring the Council’s position within budget. The current projected position would require use of all of the one-off contingency earmarked for Social Care and would leave a balance of £1.196m in the general contingency.

Detailed in section 5.2.1 of the report, there was projected variances over £0.250m, which remained the same as the previous report with the key variance in Adult Social Care of £6.7m additional investment needed for the cost of providing care packages across all client groups.

Telford & Wrekin’s Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficit remained the same as previous reports and had been a result of budget pressures relating to High Needs provision with these pressures continuing in 2024/25. The current position was that the deficit was currently projected to significantly increase in 2024/25, from £1.82m at the start of the year to approximately £6m by year end. At the time of the meeting, the Council were still awaiting further details of the Government’s intention to set out plans for reforming the SEND system in 2025.

There had been an improvement of £0.092m on council-wide underspend as a result of business rates levy income. The Capital Programme had remained the same since the last report presented with a projected spend of £91.6m against a budget of £93.1m, indicating some re-phrasing into 2025/26 required at year end.

The Council had continued its excellent track record of strong financial management and budget holders would continue their work to manage budgets as effectively as possible to address in-year financial pressures.

There were no further comments from Cabinet Members on the report.

The Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group welcomed the report and was pleased to see further improvements on the Council’s current financial position since the last report presented to Cabinet. He thanked Officers and the local authority for their combined efforts in managing the budgets.

The Leader of the Conservative Group recognised the work of the Council’s Finance Team and expressed his thanks for the briefings that had been conducted.

RESOLVED that:-

a)    the 2024/25 revenue budget position, which shows that, after applying budget contingencies, the Council is projecting to be within budget at year end, and this is without having to use the Budget Strategy or General Fund reserves be noted;

b)   the position in relation to capital spend be noted; and  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB-46

To receive the Medium Term Financial Strategy 2025/26 – 2027/28.

The Cabinet Member: Finance, Governance & Customer Services presented the report of the Director: Finance, People & IDT.

The report sought approval of the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) for the next four years from 2025/26 to 2028/29 and contained details on the Capital Strategy, Medium-Term Capital Programme, Investment Strategy, Treasury Management Strategy and Prudential Indicators.

The report built on the previous MTFS report considered by Cabinet at its meeting on 6 January 2025 which had been subject to public consultation and scrutiny by Members of the Council’s cross-party Business & Finance Scrutiny Committee.

Since the approval of the current Medium Term Financial Strategy on 29 February 2024, which covered a four year period to 2027/28, many Councils had seen an increase in demand for key services and higher costs, particularly for the provision of social care.

On the whole, the first one-year funding settlement announced by Government had been positive with significant increase in funding which was welcomed following a period of significant budget challenges, however the Council had a long track record of financial management and had managed to maintain financial stability and set a balanced budget for 14 consecutive years.

Key points from the report included the proposed general council tax increase for 2025/26 across all council tax bands of 2.99% equivalent to £0.69p per week for an average band B property as well as a 2% increase for the adult social care precept, equivalent to £0.46p per week, which would raise an additional £4.5m. All funding raised through the council tax increase would be invested in the provision of social care services. The Council would continue to offer the lowest level of council tax in the Midlands and of any unitary authority in the country despite the requirement for a general increase.

The net revenue budget set for the current year and which forms the basis for the budget for future years was anticipated to be £157m with £88m generated from council tax, £57m generated from business rates and £12m funded from Government. In 2024/25, 75% or £118m of the net budget was spent on social care for Adults and Children.

The proposed Capital Programme which totals over £376m would see £30m invested into transport and highways schemes, £45.2m for education capital projects including investment into school expansions, £9.7m for affordable or specialist housing programmes, £8.7m for leisure and cultural schemes and over £26m for towns fund projects which would avoid the closure of libraries and community centres. Further investments also included an additional £7.7m for social care services, £94m for schemes such as Nuplace, Telford & Wrekin Properties and the Long Term Empty Property Strategy and £1.7m into enhancing the Borough’s green spaces including a total of 20 local nature reserves and over 300 green guarantee sites.

The Council’s Growth Fund which had been in operation for 9 years had delivered projects such as the development of the Station Quarter and the new Digital Skills and Enterprise Hub and had a cumulative investment of £79.4m which was estimated  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB-47

To receive an update on the outcomes following the recent CQC assessment of Adult Social Care.

The Cabinet Member: Adult Social Care & Health Systems presented the report of the Director: Adult Social Care.

As of April 2023, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) had taken on new responsibilities under the Health Care Act 2022 for assessing how local authorities meet their duties for people accessing care and support.

On 19 February 2024, the Council received notification from the CQC of its upcoming assessment and requested an initial information return as part of the first stage of the assessment by 8 March 2024. The Council received notification on 24 May 2024 that the onsite element of the assessment would take place in July 2024 which included 3 days of interviews with the final report of the CQC’s assessment of the Council published on 5 November 2024. 

The CQC's findings concluded that the Council’s ability to meet its duties for people assessing care and support was ‘Good’. The report highlighted strengths in professional assessments, innovative co-production, and strong partnership working, which ensured individuals could live independently and receive necessary support when needed. It was noted that the Council's reflective practices were acknowledged, and the initial self-assessment undertaken by the Council was deemed fair.

The CQC had recognised the strength-based approaches and use of assistive technology by the Council which had delayed the need for statutory services and maintained individuals' independence. The report also underscored the importance of strong leadership and a culture of transparency, with locality teams and frontline staff being recognised for their innovative practices that had continued to improve waiting times and discharge outcomes in collaboration with health partners.

In addition to the strengths identified, the report also identified some areas of focus and continued work which included:-

• reducing waiting lists and waiting times for assessments;
• improving take up of Direct Payments;
• improving accessibility of services;
• improving the diversity and representation within experts by experience groups and Board;
• focusing on Safeguarding, Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberties (DoLS);
• improving communication with people in receipt of care and support services, their family and carers;
• developing the care market further; and
• focusing on employment opportunities available for people with care and support needs including with learning disabilities.

The report provided a summary of actions to be taken to address the areas of focus highlighted by the CQC as part of a continuous Improvement Action Plan.

Cabinet Members responded positively to the report and acknowledged the contributions made by Council teams, partners and service users in achieving the assessment score which reflected the Council’s commitment to providing the highest quality care and support to the most vulnerable residents in the Borough. Members praised collaborative efforts made by the Council’s Public Health and Adult Social Care teams in areas of work such as fall prevention, weight management, frailty and the quit smoking offer which has helped to reduce system pressures, alleviated financial burdens and improved quality of life for residents.

The Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group welcomed the report and the CQC’s assessment rating of ‘Good’. He acknowledged  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB-48

To approve the Telford & Wrekin Children and Young People's Strategy.

The Cabinet Member: Children, Young People, Education, Employment & Skills presented the report of the Director: Health & Wellbeing.

The report summarised the proposals for the Council’s draft Children and Young People Strategy for 2025 – 2028 which was an overarching plan that will act as an umbrella for a range of supporting partnership strategies and transformation programmes. The vision of the strategy was that the Borough would be a home to healthy, safe children who achieve their potential and encompasses four main aims including start well, stay well, keep safe and enjoy and achieve.

In recent years, a variety of local strategies aimed at improving the lives of children and young people have been in place across a range of partnerships including the Safeguarding Children’s Partnership and the Health & Wellbeing Board. At the time of the meeting, the Government was in the process of developing and launching a new set of national policies and reforms, such as the Children’s Social Care reform, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill and the NHS 10 year plan.

A new Children & Young People’s Strategy for Telford and Wrekin was proposed to streamline and deliver the Council’s strategic commitments across a range of children and young people’s agendas and partnerships, alongside the rapidly changing national policy landscape.

The strategy will adopt a whole-child approach to maximise outcomes for all children and young people, with a focus on narrowing the gap for children who are disadvantaged, emphasising the importance of early years support. The strategy will address issues such as poverty, mental health, domestic abuse, substance abuse and special educational needs.

The proposals as part of the development of the new strategy would draw on engagement, consultation and co-production work undertaken as part of the development of the supporting strategies, including insight gathered from children and families with special educational needs and disabilities through the development of Family Hubs, the Young Person’s Year of Wellbeing campaign and the healthy weight consultation.

Cabinet Members expressed strong support for the strategy and thanked officers for their hard work. They recognised the aims of the strategy to create a nurturing community where every child and young person can thrive. Members highlighted the importance of emotional health and wellbeing which was a key priority of the Stay Well initiative and the work the Council had undertaken with young people as part of the Year of Wellbeing to develop a new toolkit. Members also noted the success of the Family Hubs initiative to date which had expanded from three operational hubs to a total of six hubs in the past year and had supported over 8,500 people.

The Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group welcomed the report and highlighted the council's outstanding children's services and their continuous improvement journey. He noted the importance of the Council’s responsibility to care for the Borough’s most vulnerable residents. He asked the Cabinet to consider future support from the Council for youth clubs.

The Leader of the Conservative Group thanked officers for the report and noted  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB-49

To consider the Local Plan.

The Cabinet Member: Neighbourhoods, Planning & Sustainability presented the report of the Director: Prosperity & Investment which set out the Council’s legal obligation to comply with regulations to ensure the Local Plan was up to date.

Government policy over a number of years has required Local Planning Authorities to deliver Local Plans and keep them up to date to ensure that they are reviewed every 5 years. The Council was also required to show a 5-year land supply for development to avoid speculative development in locations which could impact valuable greenspaces and would not support provision of planned key infrastructure, such as schools and highway improvements.

The existing Telford & Wrekin Local Plan was adopted in February 2018 and given these circumstances and opportunities it was proposed that a review of the Local Plan be launched. The proposed review would see population growth of c28,500 over the plan period, with a total Borough population below the original vision of the Telford Development Corporation of a new town consisting of 260,000 people. Telford had remained the key population centre, most accessible location and destination for jobs and inward investment. As part of the review, the Council were also planning for development needs of communities in Newport and the rural area.

In line with national guidance the Council previously consulted on Issues & Options (I&O) during 2020/21. This set out and sought public views on four strategic objectives underpinning the review of the Telford & Wrekin Local Plan:-

• Employment led growth through inward investment and job creation;
• A ‘Forest Community’ approach which affords the protection, enhancement and accessibility of the natural environment and green spaces that characterise the Borough;
• Support for regeneration of our Borough Towns, new town estates and infrastructure Publication Version of Local Plan; and
• Meeting local housing needs including providing more affordable and specialist accommodation to support people to live longer and healthier at home.
  
  

The process for the formal review and consultation for the draft local plan was detailed in the report and the Council had reviewed comments received and amended the plan where deemed appropriate. The key themes from the consultation included:-

• The number of homes the Council were planning for and the distribution of new allocations weighted towards the north of the Borough
• The need to plan for new infrastructure to accommodate new development
• The release of agricultural land for new development
• Concerns around flooding and drainage on and around proposed development sites
• The need to protect important green spaces
  
  

As part of the key proposals of the local plan, over a third of housing would be affordable or social housing, new buildings would be more energy efficient, green spaces would be protected, a further 17,000 jobs would be secured through new land for existing businesses to grow, an additional six new schools would be built and GP surgeries expanded.

The review process had also enabled the Council to update policies within the Local Plan and where needed introduce new policies to better reflect the development priorities of the Council  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB-50

To adopt the Telford & Wrekin Skills Strategy.

The Cabinet Member: Early Years, Children, Young People and Education presented the report of the Director: Education & Skills.

The report sought approval of the Telford and Wrekin Skills Strategy which sets out the Council’s approach to further developing the Borough’s skills levels to support localised economic growth and the Council’s Vision 2032.

The strategy had been developed in collaboration with key partners including skills providers, education settings and employers and sets out the Council’s vision to become a learning Borough for all. The strategy will focus on 5 main objectives:-

• Improving the overall skills levels of residents to raise working age skills at qualification levels 1, 2 and 3 to higher than the national average;
• Nurturing and supporting aspirations whatever an individual’s background or existing skill level to fulfil their talent;
• Developing progression pathways to provide a clear route for people to progress through the skills system to employment;
• Providing a skills system which is fully inclusive and representative of the Borough to ensure all residents and communities are well-served by the skills system and that engagement practices reflect communities’ needs; and
• Providing a skills system which provides the skills required by businesses, both current and future, and contributes to economic growth and the prosperity of the town.

The proposed strategy would enhance the offer provided across the Council and would build on existing programmes that support schools to further engage with employers and higher education partners, including Harper Adams, so that higher level qualifications and work based learning and apprenticeships could be further developed.

The report also highlighted the importance of having the right skills and talents to attract investors and deliver residents' aspirations. The strategy would align with the "Get Britain Working" white paper, which introduces key changes like a national jobs and careers service, a youth guarantee, and a connect-to-work programme.

Cabinet Members welcomed the report and that the strategy reaffirms the Council’s commitment to ensuring that every child, young person and adult can live within their community and benefit from a thriving economy. Members noted the importance of developing a clear pathway for young people from education to employment and providing routes whilst working with businesses to promote upskilling, apprenticeships, work experience and internships.

The Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group welcomed the report and noted the importance of upskilling young people, particularly those individuals who did not wish to pursue a degree. He highlighted the need for apprenticeships and vocational training, noting that academic routes may not be suitable for everyone.

The Leader of the Conservative Group acknowledged the Council’s ambition to focus on skills and lifelong learning for residents. He stressed the importance of ensuring young people were prepared for employment and the need for better outcomes from primary and secondary schools.

RESOLVED that:-

a)    the Telford and Wrekin Skills Strategy, A Learning Borough for All, (Appendix A) that sets out our strategic approach to further develop the borough’s skills levels to support localised economic growth be approved; and

b)   delegate authority be granted  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB-51