Transcript

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If you're able, please stand for the arrival of the mayor and speaker. Thank you. [ Silence ] [ Silence ] [ Silence ] [ Silence ] Welcome to this council meeting of the Board of Telford and Reakin. I'm just going to pass you on to the speaker, Arnold England. [ Silence ] Don't forget to turn the microphone on. A reminder, this meeting is being recorded and live streamed on the council website. In order to indicate that you wish to speak, you should press the right-hand button on your microphone will show a flashing or solid green light. That isn't your opportunity to speak at that point. The solid green light indicates that you are in the queue to speak, the flashing green light indicates that you are next in the queue to speak. I will be aware of who has indicated to speak and when it is your turn, I will invite you to address the meeting and the microphone will then show a continuous red light. Please do not push the button again once you are in the queue. It will just take a few seconds after being called upon for your microphone to go live. When you have finished speaking, you need to push the right-hand button to turn off your microphone and the light on your microphone will turn off. As usual, members must be present for the entirety of an item, including the debate. And if you leave during an item of business, you will not be able to vote on that item. Thank you. Ian. Thank you, Arnold. Can I hand over to Ian Oliver from the Dawley Baptist Church? Thank you very much. I really appreciate being invited to have the privilege of leading us in a moment of prayer and reflection. And to begin, I just ask that we hold a moment of silence. It might be helpful to close your eyes just that we can center ourselves because there'll be many things which have been filling our minds. The day has been busy. There are many calls on our time. And in this moment, we hand them to God. We ask for his peace. We ask for his wisdom. And we remember that though we are keen to speak and have our point of view heard, it is also just as important that we listen. A few words of Jesus recorded by Matthew. Be careful how you judge, for you too will be judged. And in the same way you judge others, you will be judged. And with a measure you use, it will be measured to you. But if you ask, it will be given to you. If you seek, you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives. The one who seeks finds. And to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him? So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you. Because in doing this, you fulfill everything that is said in the law and has been told us by the prophets. Almighty God, I just pray for the men and women gathered here this evening to discuss important matters which will impact the lives of those who live and work in our borough. Thank you for their willingness to serve in this way, and I ask you that you bless them and that they may be able to put to one side any political differences, the loud voices of the lobbyists and the vested interests, so that decisions made tonight will be just and right, decisions that will take fair account of the needs of the vulnerable and the needy, will take fair account of the social and environmental impact as well as economic benefit, and decisions which will ultimately lead to a healthy, diverse community who know that they belong to this brother, this borough, and to one another, and that they can live and work together in safety and peace. Amen. Heavenly Father, we meet at a time of transition and change. Our nation and our continent have seen significant political and cultural change over recent months. We pray for those who are new into government, and we pray for those who find themselves without the post that they held before. Lord, we ask for your leading and your guiding to our new government as well as to our council. Lord, we meet at a time where schools are coming to the end of their season. We pray for the staff. We pray for the students, particularly those moving on and trying to find work. We pray for those who are struggling to find work and those struggling to cope with the massive workload that they have. Lord, we pray that in the coming weeks of summer, we all might find space to rest and reflect and reassess our own priorities. And Lord, we remember that we're only here by your grace for a short time on this planet as its custodians. We pray that you will empower these here tonight to look to you as you entrust some of your government to rest upon their shoulders. May your Holy Spirit direct and guide their thoughts and words and actions. And may you help them to listen attentively and speak wisely and so lead them on a path of unity and justice and peace. I ask and bring these prayers in the name of the Prince of Peace who gave his life to serve and save the world, our Lord Jesus, who came to die and rise again now and for all eternity. Amen. Thank you for that. Can I ask the Democratic Services Officer to confirm any apologies received in advance? Speaker, we have apologies from Councillor Sean Davis, Councillor Andrew Eade, Councillor Julie Latham-Reynolds, Councillor Lindsay Parker, Councillor Rambia Sohota, Councillor Karen Tomlinson, Bill Tomlinson and Councillor Kim Tonks. Okay. Thank you. Mr Speaker, there's also apologies from Councillor Chris Turley. Oh yes, of course. Thank you for that. Are there any declarations of interest from the floor? If there are any, please press the right-hand button on your microphone to indicate you want to speak. Any declarations? No? Thank you. Moving on. Can I have a proposer to confirm the minutes from the Council AGM held on the 23rd of May? As a reminder, again, please use the button on your microphone to indicate. Move then, Mr Speaker. Is there a seconder? Councillor Stephen Bentley has seconded. Thank you, Councillors. Can I have a show of hands? All those in favour, please? Thank you. No abstentions, none against? No. That's carried. Unfortunately, the Leader isn't able to join us this evening. Members will know that Councillor Davis has recently been elected as MP for Telford and will be stepping down from his role as Leader of the Council as of today. Therefore, I am proposing to take the first item of the agenda out of order and item 5 and 6 will now be taken as one item. We will start with item 6, election of the Leader of the Council. We will then follow immediately with item 5, Leader's announcements. Please could I invite nominations for the appointment of the Leader of the Council for the remainder of the term up to the end of the municipal year 2026/27? Nominations? Councillor Rhodes. Right. Thank you, Speaker. What do we know about Lee Carter? Right. He was born and bred in Wellington. Our borough has always been Lee's number one priority. When the future of Telford United football was uncertain, Lee, he rallied around a supporters group to take over control and save AFC Telford. I'm pleased to say Lee's efforts and commitment to save the club was recognised and rewarded when he was awarded the freedom of the borough in 2005 and he went on to become the chairman and then the manager director of the club. Since then, Lee has taken to local politics like a duck to water. He was elected at the borough council for college ward in 2015 and joined the cabinet shortly after. Most recently, Lee's had cabinet responsibilities for economy, jobs and neighbourhood services. And now it is time for him to take that next step and lead this council forward for the next three years. I move that he be appointed chairman of this district. Thank you, Councillor. Is that seconded? Councillor Healy? Thank you. When Councillor Davies announced he would be standing to become a member of parliament and wouldn't continue as leader, we all wondered who on earth could follow someone who had left such a fantastic legacy and led this council to success in all service areas. But it didn't take us long to realise who the obvious choice was. Because Lee has his own terrific track record in leadership and making a positive difference in our community. As Councillor Rhodes has said, he stepped up to be at the forefront of creating a new football club for the town and led that football club on to numerous successes and his efforts, as has been said, led to him being given the freedom of the borough. But I think I'm correct in saying that you would be the first -- Lee would be the first leader to hold the freedom of the borough. But I don't think it gives you any extra powers, I'm afraid. Once Lee was elected on to this council and appointed to cabinet, he again stepped up when needed and as cabinet member for finance, he steered the council through the challenges of grinding austerity and showing that this council invested in commercial activities that generated revenue, putting us in a much better financial position to other councils near and far. Since then, he's gone on to establish the growth fund, leading investment into local businesses and our high streets, and he's also led sensitively on the council's response to the CSE inquiry and most importantly worked closely with lived experience consultees. Lee is someone who's trusted and respected and I think he's respected right across this chamber. In fact, I'm told that after one budget speech, an opposition member was overheard saying, well, I'd follow him to the beaches. On a personal note, Lee's been someone who I've learned a lot from since joining the council and prior to that as a candidate. In fact, when I was first elected, he was living in my walls. I believe he might even have voted for me. As ever, Lee isn't driven by personal ambition but by making a positive difference and stepping up to do just that. He'll be a tremendous leader for this council and I second the nomination. All right. Thank you, Councillor. Are there any further nominations? No? We now move to the vote. All those in favour, please show. Thank you. Those against? Abstentions? Four. Okay. That is carried. Councillor Lee Carter, would you like to address the meeting? Thank you, Mr. Speaker and thank you, colleagues. Particularly thank you to Councillor Rhodes and Councillor Healy, two exceptional Councillors amongst many, many exceptional individuals in this chamber. Councillor Rhodes has served this borough for many decades. Her name is amongst many others that punctuate the history of this fine town, of those who have provided exemplary service to the public and have progressed in the betterment of the place we call home. I offer her, all of you, and each and every resident of this borough a promise that I will lead with honest determination, with commitment and hard work to ensure that we will never fall below the standards set by Councillor Rhodes and others like her, including our former leader, Councillor Davies. I would like to particularly thank him for his outstanding commitment, dedication and achievements in his role as leader of the council for the past eight years. He became one of the youngest leaders of a council in the country and rose to become the leader of local government in the UK. He has overseen a golden period in the history of this council with many outstanding achievements. From our children's services being rated by Ofsted as outstanding not once but twice to being named council of the year. He rallied the council during the COVID pandemic, providing a second to non-response and ensuring this council was there for each and every member of our community who needed us. He led the fight and continues to fight to protect services at the Princess Royal. He has led a council that in the face of record cuts from the last government has kept council tax the lowest in the Midlands, whilst at the same time retaining a positive, outward-facing vision that has seen some of the best local economic growth and inward investment since our new town was formed. He has always exemplified putting the resident first and never, ever accepted second best on behalf of those residents. Folks, how fantastic is it to have someone like him as our new MP for Telford on our side in Westminster? Now, I have to admit that following him into this role is, how shall I put it, a little daunting. But it is the honour of a lifetime to lead this modern, forward-looking, can-do organisation and it is a challenge that I am determined to take head on. Now, I feel it is important to say a little bit about myself, just so you know and understand the values that I will use to lead and hopefully provide the best reflection of you and of this organisation. You will be pleased to know that my father wasn't a toolmaker. [LAUGHTER] I have two formidable women of Wellington to thank for my entry into politics, although I totally get that some of you here may not want to hear or offer them your thanks. Angela Clements and Joan Gore strode up the stairs into my office at the Buckshead football ground in April 2014 and persuaded me to stand for election as town councillor for College Ward, the area in Wellington I grew up in. They are two amazing women who I have learned a great deal from, particularly that you never forget where you come from or the people who helped you along the way or the people who elected you and, more importantly, that you are also there to help those that didn't vote for you. I started my first political campaign from Victoria Avenue, not far away from where my great-grandmother was born in 1913. In 1916, three of my ancestors left that same site to fight for the British Army in the fields of France and Belgium, where they still remain. In 1933, my grandmother was born at 95 Regent Street. In 1976, my parents bought their first house in Alston. And in 1978, my parents will say something special arrived in their life. I know there'll be a few mixed views on that. I spent my childhood growing up on the streets of Alston College, going to a fantastic school at Arkelwood and then on to New College, and in my mid to late teens soon discovered the magic of a Friday night starting at the Buckshead pub and walking up Millbank and forgetting a lot of the rest. In 2004, I was lucky enough to lead a fantastic team of people to put Telford United back on the map. The raw emotion of Watling Street bouncing with voices from all over Telford after our promotion back to where we left 10 years previous is a moment so special that I rarely allow myself to reflect on it for too long. Now, you may well think this is all very well and good, but what's it got to do with leadership of the council? But it was early 2018 that I first read the book. I never gave my consent. The places that were memorable to me, Regent Street, Alston, Millbank, Watling Street, were memorable to Holly Arch, the author, for more horrific reasons. That growing up leading a life as a normal citizen long before politics, I didn't notice any of the signs of CSE in my community is a regret that travels with me. It will always travel with me. But along with many others, including the three incredibly brave women who have led the council's response to Crowder Report, I've dedicated many hours and days to bring reassurance to survivors and victims of CSE by delivering on their wishes and the instruction of the council to deliver an independent inquiry that met the public's needs. And also, a cast-iron commitment that this authority will never again be in a position where our day-to-day fight against that horrific criminal activity can be questioned as anything less than the most robust in this country. Now, this isn't an attempt to extend the debate about CSE, but I hope it demonstrates to you all one example of the seriousness with which I take serving in public office. You see, I'm not schooled in politics, and I suppose after that statement, some of you will also now know I can sometimes be very good at stating the obvious. But I'm schooled in service. I will never duck doing the right thing for our residents, and I will never stop until we get the outcome they require. It is always the right time to do the right thing. And as I look around the chamber now, I know I'm lucky to have so many like-minded, talented people alongside me on this journey. And I will need to use everything I've learnt from many of you in this room, from my parents, from my family, from Joan, from Angela, who first thrust that form into my hands, from the three incredible CSE survivors, from my experience these last nine years since first being elected, to ensure that we diligently and relentlessly and bravely and continuously pursue the betterment of our borough. I will play my full role of leader of this administration as we embark on this new era, an era of enhancing the opportunities for all of our residents. Just as our town and our community has provided me with a good journey through life, I'm determined to lead this council that recommits tonight to continual improvement of the journey of every individual in Telford and Reakin, no matter their background. Every young person in this town should be able to access the best schools and further education in Telford and Reakin, and we'll always invest in expanding our schools, developing the new skills helping station quarter and developing even stronger links with our local colleges and universities. If you need our care and protection, we will offer outstanding children's and adult social care delivered by the best professionals. If you're a resident who needs public transport, you should be able to travel on the best roads and cycleways or use that improved public transport, and we'll continue to invest to ensure that is the case. In Telford and Reakin, you will continue to have access to some of the best green spaces, including a record number of green flag parks, and will continue to be robust on those buildings in our town. If you are fortunate enough to find yourself out of work, you will have the best support we can offer to get back into work or retrain or develop new skills. In Telford and Reakin, you will be able to access the best leisure facilities, have your green ways collected for free and park free in our car parks, and our residents can do so while paying the lowest council tax in the Midlands, with our council committed to renewing our sense of commerciality, making smart investments to generate a surplus for investment back into frontline services, and also working harder than ever to attract business and support business so that residents have access to good jobs. And if there's a partnership to be struck to help improve our town and the lives of our residents, then we'll strike it. And we'll continue to lead the campaign to secure services back at the PRH. Our residents' journey is our journey. And I know we all have our own journeys that we have traveled, and each of you here tonight will have your own stories to tell about why you are sat here. It is our common ground, if you like. I have always believed that finding common ground can have the single biggest influence on the style in which we conduct our politics. This new era will be marked by showing humility and respect to each other, regardless of the color of the rosette that we wear. My administration will always be prepared to reach across the aisle, to have difficult and honest conversations, to find that common ground and consensus, to deliver what is best for our residents. But that does require a genuine effort from all sides, both inside and outside of this chamber. There can be a genuine new era in how we behave towards each other, but like the future we aspire to, we have to work at it, because dedication to improving this journey for every resident won't come without challenges. Our council, like many other councils across the country, is feeling the strain of 14 years of Conservative government. Our ambitions continue to grow, but the envelope is still getting smaller. Partnerships which were instrumental in helping us secure millions of inward investment have been decimated. The services we all rely on, the police, our health service, and many others are creaking. So if our common ground, our collective commitment, is to improving the life journey of our residents, then that will require a spirit of collaboration to overcome many of those challenges. I hope this new era and new spirit will see the end of the era of smear campaigns, which have dogged so many of the major challenges we've had to face as a borough. So I want to thank you all again for this privilege. I promise you that I'll try every day to do the office justice to offer the best reflection of you. And I'd like to leave you with a quote that I discovered during some challenging times I was going through a few years back. It's by the Himalayan explorer WH Murray, and it was written during his expedition in 1951. And it reads, Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it. Action has magic, grace, and power in it. Now, folks, let's go work hard for that future I talked about. Thank you. [APPLAUSE] Thank you, Leda. We will now move on to item 11. The mayor has, as chair, considered by reason of special circumstances, namely the report of the independent chair of the independent inquiry, Telford Child Sexual Exploitation, published on the 16th of July, 2024, be considered as a matter of urgency, because full council is not due to meet again until November. And therefore, I propose to take this item earlier on the agenda, ahead of items published in the agenda. Therefore, I would like to invite Councillor Lee Carter, leader, to propose this item. Councillor Carter? Thank you, Speaker. The report before you all makes recommendations in relation to the final report of the independent chair, Tom Crowther, KC, into child sexual exploitation in Telford and Reakin. In summary, at 1.1, the report asks you to note the outcome of the review undertaken by Tom Crowther. 1.2 endorses the work of officers in progressing the recommendations contained within the report. 1.3 agrees to continue working with partners and the lived experience consultees through the independently-chaired strategic implementation group to ensure that we continue improve in relation to CSE. 1.4 reaffirms our commitment has been made through many budget-setting processes to maintain funding for the CAIC team. 1.5 asks officers to take steps through the budget-setting process to ensure funding for children safeguarding and for the Holly project. And 1.6 offers the council sincere thanks and gratitude to the three independent lived experience consultees, Holly Arches, Scarlett Jones, and Joanne Phillips. I'd also draw members' attention to 4.5, that moving forward, it is proposed that the updates will be reported to full council on the continuous improvement work carried out as a result of the inquiry. I'd just like to say a few more words, if I could. Tom Crowther released his report on Tuesday. He reported those conclusions, and I thought it was only right that the council had an opportunity to note the report at the earliest opportunity, as the speaker said. The report on Tuesday followed on from the publishing -- Tom Crowther's publishing conclusions into inquiry two years ago, and this administration immediately accepted and agreed to implement all 47 recommendations, and within hours, we tasked the chief executive officer and senior officers with setting up a new structure which allowed the council to engage with the police, police and crime commissioner, health, and other partners. This work was overseen by an independent chair and was in part also led by the three independent lived experience consultees. We also agreed that we would work to ensure Tom Crowther KC would return earlier than the original two years, and we wrote to him late in 2023. Now, I want to make it quite clear that this does not represent the end of our work in this area, and the report recommendations also make that clear. Tom Crowther's findings present a positive report on that work. He praises the council for his brave and revolutionary decision to work closely with the three survivors who acted as an independent lived experience consultees, and he also commends the council's approach as an admirable model from which others can learn, and recognizes the authorities taking bold action with the most important objectives of safeguarding children from CSE. Mr. Crowther also recognizes that the organizations that comprise key stakeholders and, above all, the council have demonstrated dedication to implementing recommendations in a way that will lead to an enduring change of approach. Before moving the recommendations, I would like to pay testament to the work of our lived experience consultee partners whose tenacity and guidance has been instrumental in the positive progress of this inquiry. They've held us to account while also supporting us to shape and deliver improvements to the way in which we act to safeguard children within the borough, and that's despite at times coming under significant personal criticism. I would also like to thank a whole range of officers and teams within the council who've worked entirely to ensure that we have the most robust system in the country in place to tackle this horrific crime. And as I conclude, the independent lived experience consultees have asked for a statement to be broadcast. Thank you. Okay, a video will be shown. [ Video playing ] Being able to bring people's reasons for needing this inquiry into the room with those professionals and being able to explain what they meant in the real world, and whether it was good or not, we wanted to see improvements on either procedure or outcomes, and that's something I think you wouldn't have got without us being involved. I have to say, honestly, we've been treated with respect, we've been treated as professionals the whole way through, and actually we've been able to challenge things in a critical friend kind of way and make the changes that were necessary. So, yes, I think our role is very important, as well as the council's, but I'm really pleased that they all embraced it. We were kind of clashing with how we identify victims as CSE. I went off and I put together a document, collecting everything that we were working on together. We weren't just looking at it from a local perspective, we were looking at it nationally and then internationally, and we needed to do that, to work together holistically to understand where each of us was coming from, and that involved a lot, a lot of work. There's not been anything that we haven't been able to challenge, but actually now I think the improvements are showing, because obviously with the NRMs that's going up 300%, it shows that actually we're beginning to recognise these children when they're beginning the pathway. I work with a lot of big organisations. I haven't encountered anyone that's done it as successfully as Telfer and the region council have. They really did take everything on board, and they kind of led the way for the other partners. I've watched a shift in attitude and culture in nearly all of the organisations, specifically within the local authority, there has been a massive change in the way people view challenge, but the local authority has really grappled that and actually would be more proud to say we have a problem here and we're trying to do something about it, and we've had an increase in referrals, but positive that we're looking to tackle it rather than shy away from it. I think the priorities moving forward are to make sure the final recommendations all get signed off, but also we know that CSE evolves and we know that pathways will have to change and adapt, and we just want to be a part of the process throughout, but I actually want all the councils across the country to look to Telfer and Reeking and say we've done such a good job here that actually we all need to take part and do the same thing. We need to address the CSE statutory guidance. We need to address the CE disruption toolkit. We need to address gender disparities that are going on, and we also need to be mindful when we do that to be inclusive so that it also aligns with adult sexual exploitation so that there is a smooth transition from when a child turns 18 into adult support systems because we've got a loophole there. For me, I'm really keen to not end this process until at least all of the recommendations, including the national ones, have made some significant progress. As the crime is evolving and changing, the things we need to do locally and nationally also need to change to make sure that we're keeping all the children and people safe. All right. Thank you. Is there a seconder for the recommendation from Councillor Carter? Councillor Reynolds? Thank you, Speaker. I'd like to second the recommendation and reserve my right to speak. Okay. Thank you for that. Right. Are there any questions or comments relating to the report? Please indicate. Okay. All right. The first one I have on my list is Councillor Bentley. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First and foremost, I'd like to join the leader in congratulating the coming of the report and my thanks to all the officers that were involved in this. When I got involved in this particular thing as part of that initial CSE inquiry team and met some of these young ladies, and, well, they were sort of elderly then, the stories I heard were horrific. And it was even more horrific when we came to realise the numbers that were involved in it. I'm pleased that we've made such good progress, and the only warning or caution I would offer is criminals always, always move forward. They always find a way round. So I hope we give all the children in the borough the confidence to come forward should they be approached by anybody with an unsavoury manner so we can tackle them, get them behind bars and off the streets. Okay. Thank you, Councillor. Councillor Tim Nelson. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I offer my congratulations to the new leader, Lee, and I'm glad he's used the word collaboration, which I used myself only in the last couple of weeks, respect him, going forward and finding common ground. I will note it is unfortunate we only have such short notice for the report before this meeting. All may feel that. I'm sure we are the complete victim of timings of not necessarily of our making. It means I certainly haven't read all the reports, only the executive summary. One of the things I note I would ask the council to consider is it's proposed to have an annual report on CSE, and we would ask that to be more frequent. A year is a long time. Things can move on. Things can change. It would not hurt for us to be reminded more frequently than annually of instances of CSE, progress the police are making, finding convictions and so on. I echo my colleagues. Thanks for the work of the lived experience experts. And we thank Tom Cowder, KC, for his work. His conclusion is positive regarding the procedural outcomes of his review, and he is fairly unstinting in his praise. And one of the things he -- I'm going to conclude. I'm only being brief. One of the things he does do is he praises the council for commissioning the inquiry in the first place. If we all remember back to the process by which the inquiry was requested, and the to and fro at that time, not all of it was straightforward. Some of it was quite uncomfortable. Some of it was quite combative and confrontational. It wasn't automatically welcomed by the council. Most of my life experience is in management in private sector, not public sector. And one of the things we had to remind ourselves was, when we were confronted with something as managers we didn't like, was to remind ourselves the employee -- don't assume the employee is committing an offence. Don't assume that when a group, my colleagues, or this group, or any group puts forward an initiative, it is necessarily bad and to be resisted. And I would ask that to be a learning from this process, because if we had not actually persisted with calling for an independent public and immediate inquiry, the council five years later would not be being praised the way it is. Thank you. Thank you. Council Thomas Janke. Thank you, speaker. I want to put on record our group would also like to pay tribute first and foremost to the dedication and courage of the survivors of the CSE involved in this inquiry, whose perspectives have been invaluable in guiding this entire process and ensuring thoroughness throughout. The recognition extends not only to the council's role in the CSE inquiry, but of a stakeholder such as the police, licensing authorities, health services, and the schools. We would also like to express our gratitude to the hard work and expertise of Tom Crowther Casey and the council for ensuring a robust and transparent process. Thousands of children in our community alone have been sexually exploited over decades. The victims of this terrible crime will carry this burden for the rest of their days. So we must all continue to fight CSE in Albora, and collective failings of this council cannot ever happen again. Now, we can't change the past and moving forward by implementing these recommendations. I'm confident by working together, we can keep all the children safe in Telfer and Regan. Thank you. Thank you, Councillor. Councillor Peter Scott. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I would like to thank everyone involved in this report, from the start to the very end. As an independent, I did share the original CSE committee, and it was a very difficult time. I recall that very much so. But we came through, and we are where we are today. And that, I think, is a success for this council. Going forward, I do hope that the council will really put forward all of the facts behind CSE within Telfer and Regan, and the work they have done, and try to combat all of the complete nonsense that we see on social media, and we see about the so-called Telford 10, which is complete nonsense. We must fight that kind of idiocy, really, and show people that this is a human interest story which has come forward, and we are now getting successes. And just to finish off, the person who really helped me when I was chair of that committee was Councillor Lee Carter. And the support I got from him there only underlines to me the standard of person we have now got as council leader. And I would just like to say once more, thank you, Lee. Thank you, Councillor Scott. I have no other speakers listed, so I now go to Councillor Shirley Reynolds. Would you like to say anything? Okay, thank you very much. Councillor Carter, do you have anything to add? Speaker, just general, I think the three contributions from Councillor Yanke, Councillor Bentley, Councillor Nelson can be summed up. Listen, we have done as much as we can to make sure that we have got the most robust systems in place in the whole country to make sure we tackle this horrific crime. Ultimately, we are not responsible for catching criminals and putting them behind bars. We have got a system in place where we can hold partners who are responsible for that to account now. In terms of ongoing reporting, Councillor Nelson, clearly we are obliged every year now to bring an annual CSE report and we will continue to do that, but I can assure him there will be other mechanisms that we use so that all members are cited so that we avoid some of the stuff that Councillor Scott talked about then. It is important that we are all united on this and ultimately we all go to bed each night knowing that our consciences are clear and we have done as much as we possibly can and I am confident we are in that place now. And just finally, thank you, Councillor Scott, for your kind words. Thank you. Can I have a show of hands in favour, please? Unanimous? That's unanimous. Thank you. That's carried. Moving on to the mayor's announcement, item 7 on the agenda, I will now hand over to the mayor, Councillor Ian Priest. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to ask the members to note the engagements undertaken since the last council meeting in May, shown on the list circulated. Firstly, I would like to congratulate Sean Davies and Mark Pritchard on their election as members of parliament for Telford and Reakin constituencies, following the election on the 4th of July. I wish them both all the best. It was great to see so many residents getting out to vote and engaging in the democratic process. In the short space of time since I have been elected as mayor, I have had the fortune to attend a number of engagements both here, outside the borough and in here in Telford and Reakin, such as the Chinese dragon boat festival in Shrewsbury and of course all the summer fairs that have been going to take place across Telford and Reakin. I have also visited a number of community groups and care homes, and the two that stuck out the most was the dementia calf at Woodside, run by Telford Rotary, in particular Sue Harris, and the Telford fibromyalgia, based in Open Gates, run by Julie Deakin. When I got invited to these events, they were really heartwarming to see these volunteers having their community, these community groups, people engaging with these community groups. And I really brought it home to me. These community groups really do need a light shining on them for all the great work they do in the community. It's been a pleasure meeting the residents and organizations and different businesses, and I'm looking forward to meeting many more. Last Tuesday, I attended the VIP Crucial Crew Day, where many of you were there. I did recognize a few faces there. Obviously, I attended it as deputy mayor last year, and it was really good to see the new challenges that the kids are facing. So well done, Telford and Reakin, for that. I'd like to mention my two new charity bike rides that I'll be taking part in. On the 30th of July, I will be taking the opportunity to go from AFC Telford United 24 hours before the kickoff with Shrewsbury Town down to Wembley, around Wembley, and back for the prostate cancer. So if you could sponsor that, that would be fantastic. And the other ride, which I'll be doing with Derek Box and Steve Harris, on the 3rd of August, we're riding from West Ham football stadium in London to the Seven Hospice in aid of the Seven Hospice. So hopefully I can count on you all to support us with those rides. I would like to finish off by thanking everybody for their kind messages and for the mayor's office for organizing me as well. I look forward to seeing what comes over the next year. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Right, next we move on to item eight, questions from councillors. We have four questions this evening. I would like to remind members that questions are circulated in advance and are also available in front of you. There are 30 minutes allowed for these questions. So I would encourage members to be mindful of this so that everyone can ask their question. I wish to invite Councillor Peter Scott to ask his question to Councillor Carolyn Healy. Please use the right hand button, Councillor Scott. That's it. Thank you. I think I'm there. Okay. Newport Canal is a Telford and Reakin Council owned asset that is highly regarded in the area by all residents and visitors. The water quality and general health of the waterway is vital to all flora and fauna. Can the cabinet member for climate action, the environment and health and visitor economy confirm what the council are doing to keep our council healthy now and in the long term? Councillor Healy. Thank you, Councillor Scott, for your question. Yeah, Newport Canal is a very important site for the borough and I know that it is really highly valued by the local community. The now is a site of special scientific interest and this recognises its high importance for nature conservation. As such, Natural England are responsible for monitoring, advising and issuing consents and assents for any work and the council is responsible for carrying out day-to-day maintenance and have the permission from Natural England to carry out scheduled grass cutting and hedge maintenance along the length of the towpath. For over 15 years, the council has commissioned a specialist contractor to carry out invasive aquatic weed control in late summer and that's all done with the permission of Natural England because of its high conservation status. And that's always communicated to the angling clubs and hopefully to yourselves as members as well when that happens. A few years ago, you'll recall that we had a water environment grant awarded by the Environment Agency to Shropshire Wildlife Trust in partnership with ourselves as the council for a £98,000 project to desilt the top three sections of canal and this work took place between 2019 and 2021. This has helped manage so many invasive species in the canal so the usual annual removal of weed hasn't been required for the last couple of years. I know that things have changed recently and that's caused concern for local residents. Members will appreciate that a canal is a dynamic environment with many factors contributing to its environmental challenges, warmer winters, hotter summers create more aquatic growth and heavier rainfall carries more nutrients into the canal which contributes to more plant life. This situation isn't unique. It's happening all across the UK to closed water bodies. So the council has been working hard with the Environment Agency, Seven Trent Water as well to make sure that there's nothing else going on here. Sorry, should I send the rest of my answer to you as a written response? Do you have a supplementary Councillor Scott? I have. Yes, please do send that to me. That'll be good. Thank you. Yeah, supplementary is that a while ago you actually suggested that the canal and Victoria Park at least and I'm hoping Norbrun Park as well may be green flagged. Is that still happening, please? Yeah, we'll be submitting an application for a green flag award for Victoria Park and the canal as a single unit. We're not including Norbrun Park at this stage. It creates too big an area in terms of the green flag award, but the Victoria Park and the canal will be going next year. Okay, thank you. Can I invite Councillor Rachel Turrell to ask her question, please, Councillor Richard Overton, Councillor Turrell, right hand button. Got it. Yes, got it. Thank you. Please, can the cabinet member confirm this council continues to prioritise the health, well-being and comfort of its residents and the quiet enjoyment of their properties? Thank you. All right, Councillor Overton, you have two minutes. Thank you, Mr Speaker. As a council that is on the side of its residents, members of the chamber will be aware that this council has been working with the regulator, the environment agency and the site operator to ensure that concerns raised by the council and local residents are being heard and a robust action plan is in place. The council will continue to hold the EA and site operator to account to ensure actions are delivered in accordance with the plan. Councillor Turrell will be aware that the council is swift to organise a well-attended community engagement session that provided residents with the opportunity to ask questions of the EA, the site operator and UK health security agency. The council has been pushing the environment agency for greater air quality monitoring and has recently invested in the deployment of air quality monitoring equipment locations in proximity of the landfill site. Once available, the results will be shared with world members and residents via our dedicated website. I hope my response provides confidence and reassurance that we take this matter seriously and we are working hard to bring this matter to a close. Thank you. Do you have a supplementary question? Councillor Turrell? A supplementary question. You are on. Yes, I am on. Yes, an additional question, please, if I can. We have spoken about the excellent efforts at the various agencies working together and indeed the hard work of the officers that goes without question. One thing which was of concern at the time, there were separate briefings provided to the members who weren't part of the administration, despite my repeated request for a joint update. I just ask how does this reconcile with the constitution's principle of acting in the public interest of behaving with integrity and ensuring openness? Thank you, Councillor Overton. As you are aware, Councillor Turrell, that we held two briefing sessions the morning before the consultation. One was to ward members slightly affected by the Potter's landfill site, which is the wards that only had some issues. The second one was to Councillors who were fully affected by the site, which was yourselves and Muckston, and that is why the briefings are separate and why they are slightly different. Thank you. Councillor Bentley, you have a question? Right-hand button, please. Yes. Thank you, Mr Preacher. Question to the leader. I think in his inauguration speech he already answered this, but can the new leader reaffirm the commitment his predecessor made that there will be no charges to green waste collection until at least 2027, and that collections will continue as at present every other week, dates only changing with bank holidays, et cetera. Okay, thank you, Councillor Carter. Thank you, Councillor Bentley. A very good question. I can understand your concern at Shropshire Council's plan to introduce a £56 a year charge for residents wanting to do the right thing and recycle their garden waste. I can absolutely give him a cast-iron guarantee that this administration will always do the right thing, and that means we'll continue with free green waste collections. I know the 2027 is in the question, but as long as there's a Labour administration, we'll always commit to that, and collections will also remain at the current frequency. Thank you, Councillor Bentley. Do you have a supplementary question? In a rural area, many properties have large gardens and such like and have more than one green waste bin. There will be no change in the number of bins collected from properties during this period either, will there? Thank you, Councillor Carter. Absolutely not. Everything that currently happens will remain the same, and as I say, as long as we've got a Labour administration here, what also will remain the same? Household recycling centres opening every day of the week and not closing one day a week, free parking on council car parks, all our libraries and community centres open, free swimming for under 25s at our fantastic leisure facilities, and investing wisely not in shopping centres. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Can I invite Councillor Doug Moore to ask his question, please, of Councillor Richard Overton. Right-hand button, please. Thank you. Yeah, thank you. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Due to the holiday period and many parish councils not meeting until September, can the consultation period for the community governance review be extended to allow for an informed response to the proposals by both parish councillors and residents? Thank you. Councillor Overton. Thank you for the question, Councillor Doug Moore. We completely understand the position that town and parish councils find themselves in, given that we are fast approaching the holiday period. I know that some councils are holding an extraordinary meeting prior to the summer recess so that a class can work on a response to submit during the consultation. We also know that some will be arranging meetings for the first week back in September. Unfortunately, there is a legal timetable that the council has to comply with, which means that the final date for publication of the CGR proposals is not able to be moved. That being said, I share the concerns around the timetable, and so tomorrow I will be asking the committee to consider moving the final response date to the 4th of September. We very much recognise the importance of hearing from our residents and key stakeholders, and this is a second round of consultation. The first round of consultation was extended following a number of requests to do so, as we wanted to ensure that we heard from as many people as possible. Despite that, and despite the engagement activity undertaken by the council, we are disappointed by the number of responses received during the first round of consultation, and as a member of the committee, I will be raising this at the meeting tomorrow. Do you have a supplementary question? Yes, thank you, Mr Speaker. Please confirm why the boundary review committee meeting of the 2nd of May was cancelled without being replaced, which has led to the public consultation being delayed at the tight timescale. Thank you. Councillor Overton. I will have to get a response to that, because I don't know why it was cancelled myself personally, but it was cancelled, but the time tail was pushed back because of the general election, because there was going to be a meeting in June. Thank you. We now move on to item 9, cabinet decisions made since the last council meeting. I would remind members that these should be questions of clarity only on items marked as key decisions on the report. Are there any questions of clarifications? No debate? Questions of clarifications from members? Councillor Tim Nelson. Thank you, Mr Speaker. This is a question for the cabinet member for Holmes Enforcement. I think it is Councillor Overton. He is popular this evening, which is nice for him and a concept I am working on. It refers to item 2.2.3, better homes for all, from the cabinet considerations and report. I request clarification of how, what method the council will and can guarantee objectivity and fairness when investing new place complaints and issues and problems. When the council is investigating itself, and the context is for social housing, the tenants of a social housing landlord have Holmes England to refer to. And for normal private jellings, we have a private landlord. The council has the powers of investigation and the powers indeed of punishment enforcement and fines. But for new place, there is only two parties. New place is privately rented, the landlord is the council, which is the investigating body. We clarify how we can possibly be objective and fair in that circumstance. Thank you. Councillor Overton. Thank you, Councillor Nelson. As you are aware, we take all complaints as a council of our own services seriously. And any complaint is a new place we take as seriously as that. And we have had complaints from residents that have gone through the complaint system here at the council to be dealt with. And we will always work on the side of our residents, as we have always done as a labour administration. And where new place is seen to be failing, which it isn't, that's why it's so popular and so many people are signing up to us on even site only plans, we will continue to give our tenants in new place the best service they can have. Thank you. All right. I have no further questions. Thank you very much. Recommendations from the cabinet of 10th of July, financial monitoring report. I would like to invite Councillor Zona-Hannnington to propose this item. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move the recommendation. All right. Seconder? Councillor Overton. I formally second the recommendations. Thank you. Are there any questions or comments? Relating to the report? I have Councillor Doug Moore. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just a quick one on 4.5 on the financial out turn report. It says that has the date for the publishing of the 23/24 audited accounts been changed from the 30th of September 2024 to the 31st of May 2025 as in the report? Or has there been a different date? Have we got a date for it yet? I will provide a written response for you. OK. Any other questions? I have none listed. Councillor Overton, would you like to say anything? OK. Councillor Hannington, do you have anything to add? No? Thank you. Can I have a show of hands in favour, please? OK. Any against? Abstentions? 4-5. Thank you. Thank you. That is carried. Moving on to item 10B. I would like to invite Councillor Zona Hannington to propose this item. Councillor Hannington? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move the recommendation. Thank you. Councillor Overton, would you like to second? For me, I second, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Are there any questions or comments relating to the report? Councillor Rachel Tyrell? No, you are unread. I'm having trouble with this tonight. Just one short question which I accept will probably need to be perhaps emailed to me. In appendix 8 on page 59, there is some reference to figures for the potters group landfill, 193,000 odd. I'm just interested to know what that money is in relation to what it is going to be spent on. And just a bit of background, too, if that is possible, please. Thank you. Councillor Hannington? I will provide a written answer. Okay. Thank you. Any further? No. Councillor Overton, you didn't say anything at seconding? No. No comment. Councillor Hannington, do you have anything to add? Nothing to add. Thank you. Can I have a show of hands in favour, please? Thank you. Those against? Abstentions? One, two, three, four, five. Thank you. That's carried. Right. I would like to thank you all for attending. The next meeting will be on the 14th of November. And this year in the council chamber. Please stand for the departure of the mayor. [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO]