Agenda

To confirm the minutes of the last meeting of the Council.

The Leader of the Council may give an oral report on matters of significance to the Borough, comment upon the Cabinet decisions or make any announcements.

To note the Mayoral Engagements undertaken since the previous Council meeting.

To receive any questions from the public which have been submitted under Council Procedure Rules 7.11 and 7.12. The session will last no more than 15 minutes with a maximum of 2 minutes allowed for each question and answer. Questions can be asked of the Leader and Cabinet Members.

To answer questions received under Council Procedure Rule 6.2.

NB      In accordance with the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 6.2.9 there will be a maximum of 30 minutes allowed for questions and answers.  Any question not answered within the 30 minute time limit will receive a written reply within 5 working days.

To receive the report on the Cabinet decisions made since publication of the last Council meeting agenda. Cabinet Members may speak on these decisions and Members may ask questions about key decisions of the relevant Cabinet Member for the purposes of clarification only.  Members are asked to note the additional delegations to officers granted at those meetings.

To seek approval for Councillors who have requested a leave of absence from Council duties.

“This Council believes that Telford and Wrekin children deserve the very best start in life, they deserve great education in great schools from great teachers. This council notes that 95% of primary schools are good or outstanding and that some of our secondary schools are amongst the best performing in the country, and reaffirms our thanks and praise to our school heads, teachers, school staff and governors. However, schools are being let down by this government.

This Council notes with concern:

That this year, schools in Telford & Wrekin, and schools nationally, are facing real-terms cuts to their funding. With a national increase of 1.9% per pupil in the 2024/25 School Funding Formula allocations to Local Authorities, inflationary price increases in areas such as energy and pay awards – which are substantially higher than this, are placing significant pressure upon our schools, resulting in less resources in the classrooms of children across Telford and Wrekin.

This council believes that investment in education is investment in the future of our borough, and that it is essential to provide ALL young people in Telford & Wrekin with a chance to succeed. Furthermore, we believe that pupils of similar characteristics should attract similar levels of funding regardless of which area in the country they live in.

The Government should ensure that it makes the funds available for Government policy initiatives in our schools, so the basic level of funding allocated to all schools is adequate for the school to cover BOTH operational costs and the sufficient provision of staffing.

SEND provision is teetering on the brink of a national crisis. This council believes that High Needs Funding should be addressed urgently to meet the increasing needs of children with SEND, in Telford alone we have seen a 70% rise in EHC assessment requests over the last year and we know there is a similar pattern happening nationally. High Needs Funding has to be adequate to ensure that we can meet our statutory duties within the context of growing pressures in this area whilst delivering a balanced and equitable funding formula for pupils with SEN.

The council resolves to write to the Secretary of State for Education asking them to ensure that school funding is kept in line with real inflation, and to ensure that wage and pension increases are fully funded by national Government – basing the School Funding formula on the above and calculating school budgets on the costs of running a school.”

The Motion will be seconded by Councillor Paul Watling.

“With increased frequency of flooding around the borough support for affected businesses and residents is needed now more than ever. Until recently, following widespread flooding incidents, government has provided flood recovery funding to help cover clean up costs and replace damaged items in recognition that insurance is either unaffordable or simply refused.

This council notes that the Government has, without warning, added a new requirement of written evidence of insurance being refused or unaffordable leaving those businesses who only sought verbal advice without access to recovery funding following internal flooding from Storm Babet, once again demonstrating that the Conservatives are no longer the party of business.

This council resolves to write to the Secretary of State for the Environment to express its concern and consternation that the Government has changed the criteria without due notice and requests that the refusal of grant support for Storm Babet be reconsidered.”

The Motion will be seconded by Councillor Lee Carter.

“This council recognises the vital role that scrutiny plays within the ‘Strong Leader’ governance model adopted by this Council and agrees to undertake an independent review of current support and practices.”

The Motion will be seconded by Councillor Andrew Eade.