Agenda

1.    Disclosable Pecuniary Interests

2.    Other Interests

Recommendation

That the updated policies are approved.

Recommendations

That Council:

1.     Approves the General Fund Budget for 2025/26 as detailed in Appendix A (section 8)

2.     Approves the revised Medium-Term Financial Plan (2025/26 to 2028/29) as detailed in Appendix A, including the revised Capital Programme (attached at Annex A)

3.     Approves the Capital Strategy 2025/26 as set out in Appendix B

4.     Approves the proposed Fees and Charges for 2025/26 as detailed in Appendix C

5.     Approves the proposed Procurement Forward Plan for 2025/26, providing the authority to procure based on procurement activity detailed in Appendix D

6.     Approves a Band D Council Tax of £173.04 for 2025/26 (2.99% change from 2024/25)

7.     Approves a Band D Council Tax of £56.13 for Leek and £11.29 for Biddulph for 2025/26 in respect of Special District Expenses

8.     Notes the Chief Finance Officer's view that the level of reserves are adequate for the Council based on this budget and the circumstances in place at the time of preparing it (Appendix A, Annex C)

Recommendation

That the revised Committee Terms of Reference (Appendix 3) are approved.

Recommendation

That Members note the current Treasury Management position at the quarter ended 31 December 2024.

Recommendation

That the Treasury Management Strategy Statement (TMSS) 2025/26 is recommended to Council for approval.

Recommendation

To review the approval of a dispensation in accordance with Section 85 of the Local Government Act 1972 to Councillor D. Shaw from attending meetings of the Council and its constituent bodies due to his ongoing treatment for a medical condition until after the next meeting of Full Council.

“Staffordshire Moorlands District Council deplores the government's U Turn and its rejection of its own promises, made in opposition, to compensate women born in the 1950s for the injustice caused to them and the loss of an average £45,000 per person, when the previous government raised the state pension age twice, for women born in the 50s, without giving them due notice. Proper notice would have enabled these women to reorganise their financial affairs and plan for an adequate pension in retirement.

The WASPI campaign (Women Against State Pension Inequality) has been campaigning for seven years against this maladministration by the DWP. Research commissioned by WASPI in 2022 showed that by the end of that year, 220,000 women would have died waiting for justice.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) has found that the Department for Work and Pensions was guilty of maladministration in its handling of State Pension Age changes.

Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner said while in opposition that the previous government had 'stolen' the lost pensions off these women and that it was 'completely unacceptable'. She said that a Labour government would right this injustice and compensate the women for the money they have lost.  

Graham Leadbitter (SNP) asked the Prime Minister about the government delaying their response to the Ombudsman's ruling, saying that a woman died every 13 minutes, an average of 111 deaths every day. He asked how many more women have to die before the government takes action to give the financial redress and the justice that these women deserve.

The Prime Minister's response was "we're moving at pace on all the relevant issues. We've passed the budget to provide the baseline for what we need and we will continue to do so."

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council calls on the government to honour their commitment made in opposition to the WASPI campaigners and put into immediate effect their promised plans to fully compensate women born in the 1950s for the injustice and the loss of pensions, caused by two increases in the state pension age, not notified to the women concerned, until after the legislation was enacted in 2011. It then took effect in 2018, two years before its due date of 2020, leaving women insufficient time to make alternative financial plans.”

The Chairman to move:-

“That, pursuant to Section 100A(2) and (4) of the Local Government Act, 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings whereby it is likely that confidential information as defined in Section 100A (3) of the Act would be disclosed to the public in breach of the obligation of confidence or exempt information as defined in Section 100 I (1) of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act would be disclosed to the public by virtue of the Paragraphs indicated.”