Stafford Borough
Following the 2023 elections where we increased our representation from 1 to 5, we entered into a ‘Progressive Alliance’ with Labour and Independents.
Achievements so far include
Climate Action
The budget allowed for this has increased from £25k to £250k. New staff are in the process of being appointed.
A new carbon reduction plan for the Council is about to be presented to Cabinet which sets out targets and a structure within the Council to achieve our target of zero carbon by 2035
A carbon audit of the Council has been carried out which shows almost 200ton reduction by purchase of renewable energy
Funding has been obtained to install solar panels on the roof of the main leisure centre.
Nature Recovery
A new ‘Mowing, Sowing and growing’ strategy has been drawn up for all the open spaces owned by the Council. Areas. Instead of simply mowing, areas will be left to grow or sown with wildflower seeds or have trees planted. This is already happening in areas where community – led initiatives are creating wildlife habitats.
The Stafford Brooks project is a partnership between Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and the Council which involves the creation of new wetland areas, improvement to watercourses from a wildlife perspective and creation of wildflower meadows. Several of these are in Local Nature Reserves owned by the Council.
A decision was made to support a local group in submitting a bid for Stafford Town to be recognised as a Bee Friendly Town by the Bee Friendly Trust. The bid was successful. The Council has run workshops for parish councils and the plan is now to support Stone and Eccleshall towns in to become Bee Friendly towns.
Dealing with planning backlog
We inherited a backlog of over 1000 planning applications due to shortages of staff in the planning department. Agency staff were brought in to bring the backlog down and permanent posts are now being filled.
Renewing Stafford Town Centre
The Council has purchased a former department store that has been empty for many years and is an eyesore. It is to be demolished and replaced with a building that will house the market and have a number of flats.
A shopping centre which has been largely empty for some time has also been purchased. Most will be demolished and a large number of flats built in their place.
Rivers and ocean pollution
A motion was submitted by the Green group calling for action on a wide range of issues relating to pollution of rivers and seas. This was passed unanimously.