Agenda and draft minutes

Les Pointer, from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, said prayers.

There were no declarations of interest received from members.

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

RESOLVED – that the minutes of the previous meeting held on 22 January 2026 be confirmed and signed by the Mayor.

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.

The Leader of the Council said he had been asked to reflect on the great people who had shaped the borough.

Abraham Darby III, who was an industrial genius, changed the world, but also believed his workers deserved decent homes, food on their table and fair pay.

Captain Matthew Webb remembered not just for being the first person to swim the channel unaided but for risking his life to save others.

Edith Picton-Tuberville, who had fought for women's suffrage and stood for working women in wartime.

William Ambrose Wright, a local lad who became a national sporting hero, the first footballer to get 100 England caps, and who sometimes cycled from Ironbridge to Molyneux to achieve his dream.

Their achievements were remarkable, but what truly inspired us was how they achieved them, with dedication, with hard work, and above all else, with courage.  Courage was not just a word from history; it was a quality that had carried this Council through some of the toughest years local government had ever faced.

After 14 years of austerity, it took courage to stay the course, to protect, to care, to invest in the borough’s communities and always putting people first. 

Here in Telford and Wrekin, the Council had for more than a decade, the courage to block out the noise and was proposing another positive budget, one that protected, cared and invested while keeping Council Tax amongst the lowest in the country. Looking after those who needed it most was the Council’s priority, and it was also its biggest responsibility.

This budget tonight invested £150m in care, an £18.5m increase on last year, which meant 70 pence in every £1 the Council spent went towards supporting vulnerable children, people with disabilities and older residents.

The Administration was able to do this because there was a government that was listening and after years of being ignored, the Council’s long-standing plea had finally been heard.  This settlement delivered an additional £6m for this Council and every penny of this would go directly into protecting the most vulnerable.

Even with this investment, the Council continued to have the lowest Council Tax in the Midlands and amongst the lowest in the country, while other Councils were imposing rises of nearly 9 or 10%.

This increase was equivalent to £1.20 per week for the average household and every penny of that £4.7m went back into care, which meant dignity in old age for residents’ parents, grandparents and loved ones, support for vulnerable children and better outcomes for families, which was something the Council would never apologise for.

Because of strong financial management, the Council was also investing £90m in highways, tackling potholes and improving the roads people relied on every day.  The Council was committed to funding better homes, expanded schools, improved bus services and thriving high streets as well as backing the borough’s veterans with real action, which included the purchase of the first ever homes for veterans.

The Council was also extending its £2 bus  ...  view the full minutes text for item 60.

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

The Mayor began by asking Members to note the engagements she had undertaken since the last Council meeting, as detailed in the list circulated.

Since the meeting in January, both she and the Deputy Mayor had had the privilege of attending numerous engagements across the Borough, one of which that stood out for her was the Veolia Envirogrant Celebration event, a special event, which had seen a number of local groups awarded, and included Friends of Dawley Park, Hub on the Hill, and Telford Community Basketball CIC, to name just a few.

The Mayor was delighted to have attended a special event at Squatters Cottage in Lightmoor to see the work that Smallwoods was doing to support veterans in the borough, and she had also attended the opening of the new Veterans Well-being Hub in Brookside.  She said that veterans had given so much to this country and it had been wonderful to see the support that was offered locally across Telford and Wrekin.

The Mayor paid tribute to True North Bikers and the wider biker community once again, who had supported an amazing campaign to help a little girl with terminal cancer, from the Midlands, to break a world record for the most birthday cards received – which stood previously at around 8,000. People of Telford got behind this in a heartwarming and spectacular way – and the number of cards received was over 100,000.  The Mayor thanked every person that sent a card to Amelia and said that this had brought home the importance of the Sunflower Appeal by Lingen Davies to bring cancer treatment to the borough’s Princess Royal Hospital, which she knew was something the Council was actively supporting across the borough.

At the start of February, the Council marked LGBTQ+ History Month, with the LGBTQ+ flag flying proudly in Southwater Square, which the Deputy Mayor attended.

On Friday 6 March, the Mayor would be hosting her Mayor’s Charity Ball and she sincerely thanked everyone who had bought tickets, donated, or contributed prizes. She looked forward to seeing everyone there for what promised to be a wonderful and enjoyable evening.

In conclusion, the Mayor expressed her deepest appreciation for the incredible staff at Telford and Wrekin Council. As this was her last full meeting as Mayor, she wanted to say that it had been an absolute joy, a true honour, and a privilege to serve in this role. She said she had loved every moment and was immensely grateful for the experiences she had had, the people she had met, and the impact made together.

The Mayor said her term of office was not over quite yet, and she looked forward to making the most of the time she had left and continuing to support the local community in every way she could.

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.

There were no questions received from the public. 

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.

The following questions were asked under Council Procedure Rule 6.2.2:

(a)       Councillor Andrew Eade asked the following question of Councillor Lee Carter, Leader of the Council.

“Will the Leader of the Council guarantee that local elections in Telford and Wrekin will go ahead in 2027 despite any potential Local Government reorganisation?”

In response, Councillor Carter said he wished to make it absolutely clear to Councillor Eade and to those who may have been reporting on this, that the current administration had never sought any action that prevented residents exercising their democratic right, nor would it ever do so.

He recognised that did not align with those who had political advantage in suggesting that local Councils or councillors were doing so however, that was the material for conspiracy theorists.

Decisions about whether elections took place were not matters for the Leader of the Council.  At present, the Council was not part of any local government reorganisation process and if it was, he was clear that the Council would not merge with Shropshire.

He confirmed that elections in Telford and Wrekin would proceed in 2027 in the normal way.

In response to a supplementary question from Councillor Eade, Councillor Carter reminded Councillor Eade that there were Councils led by all political parties involved in local government re-organisation.

(b)       Councillor Andrew Eade asked the following question of Councillor Lee Carter, Leader of the Council.

“Will the Leader of the Council join with me in writing to Baroness Anne Longfield CBE as Chair of the Grooming Gangs Inquiry to urge that her promised consultation on Draft Terms of reference, plus additional information, promised for January this year be provided as soon as possible?”

In response, Councillor Carter said he had checked the current position in relation to the National Grooming Gangs' Inquiry, which was still current and widely available on the internet earlier this evening.

The draught terms of reference had already been published and were subject to public consultation, which would close on 6 March.  In those circumstances, he did not consider it necessary to write to the Chair of the Inquiry to urge her to do something that she had already done.

In response to a supplementary question from Councillor Eade, Councillor Carter said the Council would absolutely do anything it could to support the Government, the first government to have had a national inquiry into grooming gangs and was sure that it would deliver all the recommendations from that inquiry.

As to the point about being included within the scope of the Inquiry, Councillor Carter said Councillor Eade would recall that the Council had written to the Government asking that it be included following the inquiry in Telford and Wrekin, which was in depth and went back for over 40 years, there was a lot that the Council could share with the country, including best practice, about tackling that horrific crime.

(c)        Councillor Peter Scott asked the following question of Councillor Richard Overton, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member  ...  view the full minutes text for item 63.

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.

Members received the report on the Cabinet decisions made since the last meeting of the Council.

No questions of clarification were raised.

To approve the Medium Term Financial Strategy 2026/27 – 2029/30.

Councillor Z Hannington, Cabinet Member for Finance, Governance and Customer Services, presented the report of the Director for Finance, People and IDT, which sought approval of the Council’s Medium-Term Financial Strategy for the four years 2026/27 to 2029/30.

This overview report, along with the following linked reports on the agenda:

·The Capital Strategy

· The Medium-Term Capital Programme

· The Investment Strategy

· The Treasury Management Strategy and

· The Prudential Indicators report

Together, these reports formed the Council’s overall Medium-Term Financial Strategy for the next four years and the budget framework for 2026/27.

The report built on the MTFS report considered at Cabinet on 6 January 2026 which had been subject to public consultation and scrutiny by members of the Council’s cross-party Business and Finance Scrutiny Committee since that date. The January report was itself an update of the Council’s four-year MTFS approved at full Council on 27 February 2025, and this report remained consistent both with that strategy and the approach to prudent and successful financial management exercised by the Council for many years throughout an unprecedented and protracted period of severe financial constraint. 

In accordance with the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) Amendment) Regulations 2014, a recorded vote was taken on the recommendations as follows:

For (44)

Councillors E Aston, K T Blundell, M Boylan, A J Burford, E Callear, L D Cater, C Chikandamina, E Davies, P Davis, F Doran, A England, N England, S Handley, Z Hannington, C Healy, T Janke, A Jhawar, J Jones, J Kaur, L Lewis, G Luter, A D McClements, R Mehta, K Middleton, H Morgan, R A Overton, N Page, L Parker, I Preece, S A W Reynolds, S J Reynolds, H Rhodes, R Sahota, P J Scott, S Syrda, P Thomas, B J Thompson, K Tomlinson, W L Tomlinson, K Tonks, J Urey, O Vickers, P R Watling and D R W White

Against (0)

Abstentions (5)

Councillors S P Burrell, N A Dugmore, A J Eade, T J Nelson and R Tyrrell.

RESOLVED that the following, be noted:

a)            The Councils priorities to deliver its vision to protect, care and invest to create a better Borough:

·         Every child, young person and adult lives well in their community

·         Everyone feels the benefit from a thriving economy

·          All neighbourhoods are a great place to live

·         Our natural environment is protected, and the Council is taking a leading role in addressing the climate emergency

·         A community focussed innovative council providing efficient, effective and quality services.

b)           A proposed Council Tax increase for 2026/27 of £1.20 per week for the average Band B home, supporting investment in social care services, would continue to see Telford and Wrekin Council have the lowest Council Tax in the Midlands for the services it provided, and one of the lowest in the country.

c)            The continued strong track record of sound financial management of the Council, which included delivery of a balanced budget for over 17 years.

d)           That 70 pence in every £1 the Council spent was allocated to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 65.

To approve the formal resolutions to determine the levels of Council Tax for 2026/27.

Councillor Z Hannington, Cabinet Member for Finance, Governance and Customer Services presented the report of the Director of Finance, People and IDT, which set out the formal resolutions to determine the levels of Council Tax for Telford and Wrekin Council for 2026/27. The levels of tax took account of the requirements of Telford and Wrekin Council, the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner, Shropshire and Wrekin Fire Authority and the various Parish and Town Councils.

In accordance with the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, a recorded vote was taken on the recommendations as follows:

For (48)

Councillors E Aston, K T Blundell, M Boylan, A J Burford, S P Burrell, E Callear, L D Carter, C Chikandamina, E Davies, P Davis, F Doran, N A Dugmore, A J Eade, A England, N England, S Handley, Z Hannington, C Healy, T Janke, A Jhawar, J Jones, J Kaur, L Lewis, G Luter, A D McClements, R Mehta, K Middleton, H Morgan, T J Nelson, R A Overton, N Page, I Preece, S A W Reynolds, S J Reynolds, H Rhodes, R Sahota, P J Scott, S Syrda, P Thomas, B J Thompson, K Tomlinson, W L Tomlinson, K Tonks, R Tyrrell, J Urey, O Vickers, P R Watling and D R W White

Against (0) 

Abstentions (0)

RESOLVED, unanimously – that the levels of Council Tax for 2026/27, as set out in the report, be approved.