The Staffordshire Council Cabinet met to discuss a range of issues, including renewable energy policy, the performance of Nexus Care Trading, and treasury management. The cabinet approved recommendations relating to a renewable energy policy position, the Nexus Care Trading annual report, and the half-yearly treasury management report. They also received updates on business in Staffordshire and the leader's activities.

Renewable Energy Policy

The cabinet approved recommendations regarding the council's position on government policy related to renewable energy and battery energy storage systems (BESS), particularly concerning land use conflicts with local farming and agriculture. Councillor Andrew Mynors, Cabinet Member for Connectivity, introduced the report, highlighting the stress experienced by farmers due to frequent inquiries about selling land for solar farms. He said that while some farmers may be open to the idea, others find it very stressful as they try to focus on food production.

Councillor Mynors outlined several key concerns:

• Food Security: Referencing the government's statement that food security is national security, he emphasised the need to balance renewable energy development with the protection of agricultural land.
• Planning and Regulation: He noted that planning responsibility for renewables does not fall on Staffordshire County Council, and expressed concern that local planning application rejections can be overruled by the Secretary of State. He also highlighted the lack of robust regulatory control over battery energy storage systems, which are causing worry for parish councils.
• Community Impact: Councillor Mynors reported that parish councils are having to set up working groups to deal with the impact of battery energy storage systems around their areas.
• Fire Safety: He raised concerns about the fire and rescue services' capacity to handle potential fires at battery energy storage system sites, particularly in rural areas with limited water access.
• Traffic: He noted that local communities are worried about the potential for increased traffic from arctic trucks delivering to the sites on small rural roads.

Councillor Martin Murray, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Economy and Skills, supported the motion, saying that the council already has plans to place solar and battery units on top of county farm buildings. He also raised concerns about the ownership of the companies developing these projects, saying that many of them are foreign-owned and have short leases, which could lead to environmental damage and clean-up costs falling on the council.

Councillor Hayley Coles, Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture, shared an example from Tamworth, where a solar farm project was approved and then the ownership changed to a German company. She said that the developers are not looking at the whole cost of the projects, including repair and the environmental impact of Chinese production.

Councillor Chris Lodge, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, said that the council has been taking a lead on this issue since being elected. He said that there are hundreds of small, limited companies being established with twee country cottage type names , but that they are backed by serious, global, multi-billion pound international investment companies.

Councillor Alex Hunt, Cabinet Support Member for SEND, spoke about the human aspect of the issue, saying that the pressure on farming is affecting the mental health of farmers. He said that it is important to put farmers first and ensure that there is a future for farming.

Councillor Anthony Screen, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Resilience, raised concerns about criminality at BESS sites, saying that there have been over 70 incidents of cables and lithium batteries being stolen since 2024.

The cabinet agreed to send a letter to the government to ask for more clarity on the issue. The letter will ask for clarification on the acceptable terms of land use, the environmental impact assessment requirements for applications, and the fire safety requirements for developers. The council will also ask for consideration to be given to securing strategic relationships with Great British Energy¹ to ensure that the local area has better oversight of the market.

Nexus Care Trading

The cabinet approved the Nexus Care Trading annual report for 2024/25, but requested a meeting with the chief executive of Nexus to discuss the company's ongoing loss and the presentation of documentation to Companies House. Nexus Care Trading is a council-owned company established to provide care services when the market is unable to offer good quality services at affordable prices. Councillor Martin Rogerson, Cabinet Member for Health and Care, presented the report, noting that Nexus Care was mobilised in January 2018 to provide re-ablement services², and has since taken on additional responsibilities, including care home contracts and residential respite care.

The annual report outlined Nexus Care's strategic objectives for 2025-2026, which include:

• Providing commissioned activity
• Maintaining and improving quality
• Balancing the books
• Keeping staff happy
• Helping the council to reduce costs
• Demonstrating best practice and pilot innovation

Councillor Rogerson noted that recruitment and retention of staff remains a challenge, which has limited the full delivery of some services.

In response to the report, a councillor raised concerns about anomalies in Nexus's documentation submitted to Companies House and suggested a meeting with the chief executive to address these issues. Councillor Nicholas Lakin, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, asked for clarification on whether Nexus Care supplied lateral flow devices or provided testing services during the pandemic, and how much of Nexus Care's £12.413 million turnover came from the council.

Treasury Management Report

The cabinet approved the half-yearly treasury management report for the period ending 30 September 2025. Councillor Chris Lodge, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, presented the report, which covers the authority's strategy and processes on borrowing, lending, and cash management. He noted that the council takes a prudent and low-risk approach to treasury management, focusing on the security and liquidity of funds.

Councillor Lodge highlighted two pieces of good news:

• The council repaid $50 million of external debt, LOBO debt³, during the period, using cash reserves rather than borrowing more money.
• The council's investment strategy gained a return of 4.76%, which was higher than the agreed benchmark of 3.2%.

Staffordshire Means Business

Councillor Martin Murray, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Economy and Skills, provided an update on business in Staffordshire. He reported that the claimant count for universal credit⁴ in Staffordshire has decreased by 885 claimants over the last year, bringing the total number of claimants in the county to 15,150, or 2.8% of the working age population. However, he noted that the number of young claimants in Staffordshire has increased over the year by 180 claimants, and now stands at 3,235.

Councillor Murray also highlighted several positive developments for businesses in Staffordshire:

• Lower Drayton Manor Farm has been named the winner of three categories at the Farmer Rural Awards.
• Josie Morris, CEO of Stone-Based Wool Cool, received the Sustainability Award at the LDC Top 50 Business Leaders of 2025.
• Peter Ellis, co-founder and CEO of Cozy Direct, received the People's Award at the LDC Top 50 Business Leaders of 2025.
• JCB celebrated its 80th birthday and announced a £100 million investment in ultra-modern manufacturing facilities at its global headquarters in Rochester.

Councillor Murray also mentioned a recent adjournment debate in the House of Commons to discuss the A50 corridor, with Simon Lightwood MP, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the State of Transport, acknowledging the corridor's strategic importance and confirming that improvements are under consideration for future investments.

In response to a question from a councillor, Councillor Murray said that unemployment has actually gone up to 5% last month, but that Staffordshire falls well below that target. He also said that inflation is at 3.6%, but that food inflation is still at 4.9% and energy prices have increased, which are affecting the cost of living crisis.

Other Business

The cabinet also:

• Approved the minutes of the property sub-committee meeting held on 15 October 2025.
• Received an update from the leader of the council, Councillor Ian Cooper, on Remembrance Day events, the response to Storm Claudia, and the Let's Talk Libraries consultation.
• Approved recommendations relating to powers of direction for kerbside collected recycling.
• Approved two cabinet member delegated decisions relating to the abandonment of road protection schemes in Stafford.
• Reviewed the forward plan of key decisions.