Agenda and minutes

None.

RESOLVED - that the minutes of the meeting held on 17 February 2022 be confirmed and signed by the Chair.

The Leader stated the commitment of the Council to do it all could to support the Ukrainian resettlement programme once it was launched. Community groups were thanked for their hard work to date – collecting donations and offering to host refugees.

The Leader also addressed the cost of living crisis, stating that everybody was feeling the cost. The Council stood with residents and had frozen council tax to this end. The Authority was doing all it could to support residents in other ways; however, this was an urgent issue and action was needed from the government.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families presented the report of the Director: Education and Skills.

The report sought approval to implement the Ten by Ten initiative launched by Wes Streeting MP. The scheme aimed to encourage and motivate all children to take part in ten life-enhancing activities by the time they were ten years old.

Whatever their background, every child should have the chance to take part in activities that open their eyes to new opportunities. For children to thrive they needed challenge, support and experiences, both inside and outside of the classroom.

Whilst the initiative encouraged the participation of all there was specific focus on increasing opportunity for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

Implementation of the scheme would be led by the Council and delivered through a joint approach with key stakeholders including schools, community providers, parish and town councils, local charities and other third sector organisations. 

If approved, Telford & Wrekin would be among the first councils in the country to adopt the Ten by Ten initiative.

Cabinet Members welcomed the report, noting the importance of experiences and opportunities in building  confidence in children and the significant impact it could have on their life.

The Leader of the Liberal Democrat group stated his support for the initiative.

The Leader of the Conservative group welcomed the focus on disadvantaged children but queried the use of data relating to five to fifteen year olds for a programme up to the age of ten.

In response, the Cabinet Member stated that the data covered the relevant age group, recognising that support should not end at the age of ten but continue into later life, and praised the hard work of officers in developing the report.

RESOLVED – that Cabinet

(i)           Approves the implementation of ten by ten across Telford and Wrekin.

(ii)          Authorises the Director for Education and Skills, after consultation with the Lead Member for Children, Young People and Families to take all required action and utilise funding totalling £200,000 from the Investment in Council Priorities Fund to support implementation of the initiative.

The Cabinet Member for Stronger and Safer Communities presented the report of the Associate Director: Policy & Governance.

The report provided an update on the Council’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant. This included the delivery of the Calm Cafes for Veterans – the success of which had necessitated the finding of new, larger, venues. It was important to ensure that every resident could live well in the community and the cafes were key to that.

Cabinet Members noted the importance of such a resource as the Calm Cafes, especially in terms of providing a sense of community outside of military life.

The Leaders of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat groups both welcomed the report, recognising its importance.

RESOLVED – that Cabinet

(i)           Notes the achievements of the Council in relation to the delivery of its Armed Forces Covenant commitments.

(ii)          Endorses the allocation of additional funding for the Calm Cafes for Veterans to continue for two years from January 2023 as set out in the report.

The Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Green Spaces, Natural and Historic Environment and Cultural Services presented the report of the Director: Communities, Customer and Commercial Services

This report provided an update on the 2021 Climate Change Fund and sought approval to repeat the funding for 2022. There were modifications from the previous year based on the experience of implementation in the last round of funding.

The fund was first launched in February 2021, as part of the Council’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2030. The grant funds original £100,000 budget had been increased to around, £131,000 and was awarded across 35 projects. A further £200,000 was sought for another round of the Climate Change Fund.

Cabinet expressed thorough support for the proposals, noting that the Council was taking action to address the climate emergency within the Borough whilst calling for a national response to the climate crisis.

The report was welcomed by the leaders of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat groups.

RESOLVED - that Cabinet:

(i)            Notes the impact of the Climate Change Fund in supporting a wide range of projects across the Borough.

(ii)       Authorises the allocation of a further £200,000 to launch another round of the Climate Change Fund – aiming to invite applications in July 2022.

(iii)      Delegates authority to the Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Green Spaces Natural and Historic Environment and Director: Communities, Customer and Commercial Services to agree terms and any documentation to give effect to the implementation of the fund.

(iiii)     Agree that applications to the Fund be determined by a Panel comprising the lead Cabinet Member forClimate Change, Green Spaces Natural and Historic Environment and Director: Communities, Customer and Commercial Services in addition to, where possible, representatives from the Telford & Wrekin Borough Climate Change Partnership and a representative from the Council’s Environment Scrutiny Committee.