The Staffordshire County Council Cabinet met to discuss a range of issues, including the financial outturn for 2024-25, a contract for special educational placements, and a framework for food waste disposal. The Cabinet approved the final financial outturn, the contract for special placements, and the framework for food waste disposal.

Financial Outturn 2024-25

The Cabinet approved the final financial outturn for 2024-25, which showed an underspend of £5.3 million. Councillor Chris Large, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, reported that this underspend reflected underspends across all directorates, despite significant pressures in children in care placements and older people with physical disabilities. These services were partially funded by additional allocation of social care grant. The contingency budget of £15 million was not used and will be contributed to the Capital Reserve Fund for future capital investment. The Capital Programme showed a total expenditure of £151.6 million, reflecting continued investment in school places, highways, property, and economic regeneration. The Cabinet also approved the capital financing arrangements as set out in Appendix 3 of the report.

Framework for Food Waste Disposal

The Cabinet approved a new disposal framework for food waste, following the introduction of new government strategy requirements. Councillor Andrew Mynors, Cabinet Member for Connectivity, explained that by April 2026, every local council authority in England will need to collect food waste from households on a weekly basis. Currently, food waste goes into the main bins for most households across Staffordshire, except in Newcastle and the Moorlands. A waste composition analysis completed by Keele University in 2019 showed that, on average, 31.5% of Staffordshire's residual waste is comprised of food waste. The introduction of these national changes means that around 20,000 tons of waste per year could be diverted from the incinerators at W2R in the south of the county and Hansford in the north. Councillor Andrew Mynors stated that:

The gate fee per tonnage for disposing of waste at the incinerator is higher than the gate fee of the tonnage of food waste. So again, money can be saved there. So we're increasing the recycling, and we're also hopefully giving some money back to the residents and tax and save money.

The decision to enter into this framework rather than procuring from a single contractor provides the best outcome for Staffordshire residents, as it provides competition and flexibility in terms of food waste disposal arrangements. The framework could achieve a saving of between £500,000 and £1 million for taxpayers. The Cabinet also agreed to delegate authority to the Director for the Economy, Infrastructure, and Skills to approve the contract for execution, and to authorise the Office of Legal Services to execute the contract.

Contract for Special Placements for Pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans

The Cabinet approved the award of a contract to The Haven School Limited for special placements for pupils with education, health and care plans (EHCPs). Councillor Janet Higgins, Cabinet Member for Education and SEND, explained that the contract would secure 25 full-time equivalent day placements at The Haven School Limited¹, an Ofsted-registered independent special school.

The agreement is to continue to secure 25 full-time equivalent day placements at The Haven School Limited, an Ofsted-registered independent special school which has been approved by the Secretary of State under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014².

Since The Haven School opened in 2016, Staffordshire County Council has secured placements at the school. The most recent contract term covered the period from 1 September 2021 to 31 August 2025. The new direct award and contractual period with The Haven School Limited will ensure that the Council has appropriate and equitable education provision to meet the social, emotional and mental health needs of young people aged 11 to 19 with EHCPs. The contract is for an initial two-year period, from 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2027, with the option to extend for two further extension periods, from 1 September 2027 to 31 August 2028, and from 1 September 2028 to 31 August 2029. The Cabinet also agreed to delegate authority to the Director for Children and Families to enter into the contract and utilise any contract extensions.

Leader's Update

Councillor Ian Cooper, Leader of the Council, gave an update on the council's activities. He said that the council was committed to improving services and support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and was seeking the views of local people to feed into plans for how to support children in the future. He expressed concern that the government had delayed the publication of a white paper on SEND funding until the autumn, and that the detail on how they intend to fund the ever-rising cost of SEND support or adult social care was absent with a last-week spending review. Despite this, he said that the council's adult social care teams were working hard to deliver a quality service for residents, and had been officially rated as good by the Care Quality Commission. He also said that the council had balanced the books for 2024-25, despite the fact that it already spends around £7 in every £10 on caring for people of all ages.

Staffordshire Means Business

Councillor Martin Murray, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Economy and Skills, provided an update on the council's efforts to support the growth of Staffordshire's economy. He reported that the number of people in the county claiming universal credit had increased by 180 to 16,045, or 3% of the working age population. The youth claimant count had also increased by 70 to 3,160 young people, or 5% of the population aged 18 to 24. He noted that while these claimant counts may be better than the national average, the average earnings in Staffordshire are below the national average. He highlighted the importance of engaging with younger residents to encourage them to continue in education and training. Councillor Martin Murray also spoke about the launch of Screen Staffordshire, the county's first film office, which he said would bring more film and television to the county and bring a great level of filming on locations to the county, with the potential of bringing huge benefits to the area. He also mentioned the JCB Golf and Country Club, which hosted the Live Golf Tournament in 2024 and will host it again in 2025, attracting tens of thousands of fans from around the world to Staffordshire. He said that he wanted the council to work with the organisers to make sure future events like Live and others help showcase Staffordshire to secure more investors and visitors to the county.

Decisions Taken by Cabinet Members Under Delegated Powers

The Cabinet noted a decision taken by Councillor Nicholas Lakin, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, to approve the proposed expenditure, volumes, and delivery arrangements for the Round 7 Household Support Fund in Staffordshire. The Household Support Fund³ is a government scheme that provides funding to local authorities to support vulnerable households with the cost of essentials.

Forward Plan

The Cabinet noted the forward plan, which lists the matters coming before the Cabinet for a decision over the next few months. In July, the Cabinet will consider a report by Councillor Martin Rogerson, Cabinet Member for Health and Care, on care models within Staffordshire's extra care schemes, and a report by Councillor Andrew Mynors, Cabinet Member for Connectivity, seeking approval for delegated authority towards contracts for Phase 1 of the LIFT project⁴.