27 January 2017

Following receipt of the Planning Inspector’s report,it will be presented to the County Council’s Planning Committee on 2 February 2017 with a recommendation that the Planning Committee commend to the County Council, the adoption of the new Plan together with the modifications as recommended in the Planning Inspector’s report. The modifications have been previously subject to public consultation and agreed by the Council.

It is intended to recommend the Plan’s adoption when the Council meets on 16 February 2017.

The proposed adoption version of the new Plan and its appendices can be viewed via the online policy document library.

CareMatch have organised a series of drop in sessions giving information on jobs and training opportunities available in Adult Social Care during February. There are several drop-in sessions around the County – see the attached flyer for more information.

The Chairman’s Diary is now available on the Internet. You can view events scheduled for 2017 and find out more about events undertaken in 2016.

Thursday 26 January – Sunday 29 January / The Music Show of the Nations – Bremen 2017 (Chairman)
Tuesday 31 January / Mayoress of Tamworth’s 85th Birthday - Tamworth Town Hall (Chairman)

County Council

All meetings are held at County Buildings unless otherwise stated. Click on the blue highlighted text to open up the agenda, minutes and reports for that meeting. Please ensure that you refer to your agenda to confirm the start date.

Monday 30 January / 10.00 am Pensions Committee - Oak Room
Tuesday31 January / 10.00 am - 1.00 pm Healthy Staffordshire Select Committee - Council Chamber
10.00 am - 1.30 pm Staffordshire Local Government Association - Joint Waste Management Board - Council Offices, Codsall
1.00 pm Obesity Working Group - Oak Room,
4.00 pm Special Committee to exercise functions under the Officer Employment Procedure Rules - New Bremen Room
Wednesday 1 February / 10.00 am Budget Only, Cabinet - Oak Room
Thursday2 February / 10.00 am Planning Committee - Oak Room
Friday 3 February / No meetings

Fire Authority Meetings (to be held at Pirehill unless otherwise stated)

Monday 30 January / No meetings
Tuesday 31 January / 2.15 pm Human Resources and Ethics Committee
Wednesday 1 February / No meetings
Thursday 2 February / 2.15 pm Scrutiny and Performance Committee
Friday 3 February / No meetings

There are no diary amendments this week.

The next meeting of the Cabinet is a budget only meeting and will be held on 1 February.

The decision by the Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Matters to approve the granting of a 25 year lease of Littleworth Community Centre to Littleworth Community Association has been published and is available for call-in until midnight on the 30th January. You can find out more about the decision here.

There are no officer delegated decisions this week.

An update from this meeting will be included in next week’s bulletin.

The main agenda item was the Police and Crime Commissioner’s (PCC’s) draft Budget and Precept for 2017/18.

The Panel has the power to veto the proposed Precept if it considers it to be either too high or too low.

The PCC proposed a 1.99% increase in Precept reminding members that throughout his first term of office he hadn’t sought any increase in precept as he felt that there were economies and efficiencies to be realised within existing budgets.

For 2017/18 the Commissioner sought increased revenue via the Precept in order to maintain services at current levels. He highlighted a provisional 1.4% reduction in Home Office grant (equating to £1.488m)and detailed the assumptions made, such as increase in the Council Tax Base, in estimating other funding levels. Reporting on Budget pressures for 2017/18 the PCC referred to his continuing Transformation agenda to modernise the Staffordshire Force and equip it to respond to the changing nature of crime, his wish to increase visibility in the Community to give confidence in the Force, and made brief reference to national strategic policing commitments which had to be fulfilled.

Panel members questioned a number of elements contained in the proposed Budget including reductions in provision for Force and Staff pay costs with the PCC giving assurances that Police Officer levels were to remain constant. Community Engagement was under review by the Deputy Chief Constable and, to allay concern expressed by some Panel members, he confirmed that the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme would be an important element in future service provision. Responding to queries on the reduction in budgets in 2017./18 for Premises and Transport costs, the PCC reported that joint working with Kier and the Staffordshire Fire And Rescue Service respectively had realised considerable savings.

The Panel accepted the Budget and did not exercise its veto over the proposed 1.99% increase in precept for 2017/18.

The Panel also received a report by the PCC on the requirement on him to publish a new Police and Crime Plan following his re-election. A draft plan was submitted for formal consultation and the Panel agreed to consider this at a special workshop to be arranged for late February 2017.

The Panel held a second meeting (Confirmation Hearing) to consider the PCC’s chosen candidate for the post of Director of Finance and Performance in the OPCC. The Panel is required to consider the professional competence and personal independence of preferred candidates for a number of key posts in the PCC’s Office, including the Chief Financial Officer. The CFOs role has been incorporated into the Director of Finance and Performance post.

The PCC introduced to Panel Mr B Bhakri reporting on his professional qualifications, skills and experience. The Panel questioned Mr Bhakri on his experience of public sector financial management.. The Panel supported Mr Bhakri’s appointment to the post.

For more information on this meeting or the Police and Crime Panel in general please contact Julie Plant or Helen Phillips (01785 276135 or 01785 276143).

The Corporate Parenting Panel met and considered the following:

  • Advocacy Service – the Panel received details of the Service from Sarah Taylor and Elaine Jones of the National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS). NYAS are commissioned to deliver advocacy services across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent for: looked after children; children with emotional wellbeing/mental health issues (Staffordshire only); children subject to a Child Protection Plan; children and young people with learning difficulties; and, children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND);
  • Independent Chairpersons Service Annual Report – Claire Cartwright presented the Annual Report which highlighted key messages from the year. This detailed report included priorities for 2016/17, which were identified as; a revision of the current dispute resolution policy; continued collaboration with the Voice Project; to embed the use of social pedagogy; and, to continue the review of statutory care plan reviews and child protection conferences;
  • Fostering Service Review – Members received details of the Head, Heart and Hands Programme evaluation. Whilst it had been difficult to define and measure the success of this programme in the short term it was felt that longer term success would be seen. Staffordshire intended to continue with the learning from this programme. The Panel considered an update on changes to the Payment for Skills Remodelling, with a further update on this issue to be brought to the Panel in 6 months’ time. The Panel also received a presentation from the newly elected Chair of the Staffordshire Foster Carers Association;
  • Equality and Diversity – the Panel had agreed to receive details of equality and diversity across the service areas annually. They noted in particular the difficulties in finding college places for unaccompanied asylum seekers who were 16-18 years of age;
  • Children in care Council – the Panel received details on how the Voice Project had helped shape services within Foster Care and the Children and Young People’s Review process. They also heard details of The Big Vote, which sought the views of looked after children and care leavers; and
  • Performance Card - the Panel received data outlining performance and quality of services for Staffordshire looked after children.

There are no new consultations this week.

A scheme to improve access for pedestrians and cyclists along the A449 in Rising Brook, Stafford, gets under way this month.

It will include new foot and cycle paths, improved crossing facilities, road junction widening and the introduction of a 20mph limit around the shops at Rising Brook. The scheme will be completed in March this year.

The new shared footway and cycleway will link Hesketh Road and Churchill Road by Stafford Manor High School. New foot and cycle paths will link the existing cycle path with Burton Square. A new pedestrian refuge in the road by the Royal Oak will make crossing safer and the existing pedestrian crossing will be moved closer to the school.

In addition, junctions will be widened at both John Amery Drive and Brook Glen Road with the A449. A new yellow box marking will improve the flow of right turning vehicles into John Amery Drive and Brook Glen Road.

People can see plans and find out more by visiting:

A Staffordshire business park is to become the second location in the county to benefit from a new initiative designed to help more people – especially in rural areas – get superfast fibre broadband.

It is the second community fibre partnership deal to be spearheaded by the county council and BT through Superfast Staffordshire, which is part of the Government’s Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) programme.

Around 35 small businesses based at Brookside Business Park in Coldmeece near Stone will be able to access some of the fastest broadband speeds in the country when the upgrade work is completed.

The project is being co-funded by business park owner Roger Harris and the county council and BT, as part of the Superfast Staffordshire roll-out of superfast fibre broadband. Additional investment is coming from Openreach, BT’s local network business, through BT’s Community Fibre Partnership programme. This new deal for Brookside Business Park follows a similar agreement with residents in the hamlet of nearby Cotwalton, which became the first Staffordshire community to sign up for this innovative co-funding approach near the end of last year.

The county council launched the Community Fibre Partnership Support Fund as part of its plans to reach the final four per cent of county premises not currently part of any public or private sector fibre broadband upgrade plans.

The deal involves the use of Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) technology, which is capable of delivering ultrafast download speeds of up to 1 Gigabit per second and upload speeds of up to 220 megabits per second (Mbps). Engineers from Openreach are expected to complete the extensive upgrade work by spring 2018.

Details of how to check if you are eligible for help with funding fibre broadband are available on the Superfast Staffordshire website:

So far Superfast Staffordshire has enabled around 70,000 households and businesses to connect to superfast broadband speeds.

The figure rises to more than 469,000 when combined with commercial fibre roll-outs by private sector companies, such as BT.

More information about BT’s Community Fibre Partnership programme is available from:

From 2 February 2017

  • Service 876 (Select Bus, Stafford - Wolverhampton) - Revised route and timetable, Saturday journeys cancelled.

From 25 February 2017

  • Service 1B (Arriva Midlands, Stafford - Baswich) - Revised timetable, with the introduction of 1C Schoolday journeys to Blessed William Howard.
  • Service 9 (Arriva Midlands, Stafford - Highfields) - Revised timetable.
  • Service 12 (Arriva Midlands, Stafford - Doxey) - Revised timetable.
  • Service 76A (Arriva Midlands, Stafford - Wolverhampton) - Revised timetable and revised route around Stafford and Wolverhampton.
  • Service 827 (Arriva Midlands, Stafford - Brereton) - Revised timetable.

Revised timetables should be available on Traveline (0871 2002233 ) two weeks before the amendment date or email for a paper copy of a timetable.

View more detailed information on bus service changes.

Last week199potholerepairs were carried out across Staffordshire.

You can find a full list of both potholes we have repaired and defects reported from the link here.

There are no new traffic regulation orders this week.

There are no new planning applications this week.

There are no new planning decisions this week.

Get up to date roadworks information from

Every Friday
2.00 pm – 3.00 pm / Knit and Natter
Every Day / Coffee Morning
Every Tuesday
2.00 pm – 4.00 pm / Craft Café
Every Thursday
10.45 am – 5.00 pm / ‘Old Codgers’ All Welcome
Every Friday
10.00 am – 10.30 am / Baby Bounce and Rhyme
Wednesday 1 February
10.00 am – 11.00 am / French Conversation Group
Thursday 2 February
2.00 pm – 4.00 pm / Poetry Group
Tuesday 31 January
2.30 pm – 3.30 pm / Book Club
Every Monday
1.30 pm – 3.30 pm / Writers Group
Every Friday
10.30 am – 11.00 am / Baby Bounce and Rhyme
Every Monday
11.30 am – 12.30 pm / Crossword Club
Every Monday
10.00 am – 12 noon / Drop in Job Club
Every Tuesday
10.00 am – 12 noon / Craft Group
Every Thursday
2.00 pm – 4.00 pm / Free IT Buddy drop-in sessions
Every Thursday
4.30 pm – 5.30 pm / Coding Club
Wednesday 1 February
4.30 pm – 5.30 pm / Rebel Makers Technology
Every Monday – Friday
10.00 am – 4.30 pm / Theatre Tickets
Every Monday
10.30 am – 11.00 am / Baby bounce and rhyme