Staffordshire County Council's new Reform leader chairs his first public cabinet meeting

A sea of new faces gathered around the cabinet table at Stafford’s County Buildings on Wednesday (June 18), as all members were newly elected to the county council just a few weeks ago.

Councillor Ian Cooper used his inaugural leader’s update to reflect on the new administration’s first six weeks at the authority, as well as highlighting the ongoing issue of SEND support and care funding it has inherited from the previous Conservative administration. He also paid tribute to Staffordshire residents named in the King’s Birthday Honours last week for their contributions to the county.

There were no references to recent controversies however, such as Stafford Pride’s demand for an apology from Councillor Cooper for comments made about its event funding, or the resignation of a Reform UK councillor less than two weeks after the election.

Wayne Titley stood down from the Eccleshall and Gnosall seat after comments attributed to his Facebook account about illegal boat crossings came to light and a by-election to fill the vacancy will take place on Thursday, July 17, costing £27,000.

Councillor Cooper said: “I would like to open the cabinet meeting today – my first time as leader of Staffordshire County Council – by saying what an honour and privilege it is to have been given this responsibility. The last six weeks have been fascinating, challenging and eye-opening.

“As we get into the detail of the inner workings of the council, we have been welcomed and supported by officers who share our passion for making a difference in the communities that they work with. In the first few weeks of our leadership we have been clear that it is business as usual for the council while we listen and while we learn.

“It is vital that council services must continue to run whilst we get under the bonnet of how things occur. We have already confirmed our commitment to improving SEND services and support for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

“It is one of our four core priorities – and now we are seeking the views of local people to feed into plans for how we support children in the future. We are determined to do as much as possible with the resources we have, but I am concerned that our efforts will not be enough if the Government fails to step up with critical funding and policy reform.

“The detail of how they intend to fund the ever-rising cost of SEND support and adult social care was absent at last week’s Spending Review, as care was once again kicked down the road. Despite the continued apathy and delay from the Government, when it comes to care locally our teams are working hard to deliver a quality service for residents, and are now officially rated as good by the Care Quality Commission.

“I would like to congratulate our adult care teams on this achievement – it’s no mean feat. Our inspection results put us among the top five best councils in the country and caring for vulnerable children and adults is important to us; it’s also one of our biggest budget challenges and we already spend around £7 in every £10 on caring for people of all ages.

“Despite this, the council has balanced the books for 2024/25. Many councils are on the brink of bankruptcy, but this is not the case in Staffordshire.

“The key question for us is whether taxpayers’ money is being spent in the right places. Answering this will be our focus for the next few months, as we move towards the budget-setting process for 2026/27, consider how to move funds to where they are needed and make sure every single penny of taxpayers’ money is working as hard as it can.

“Finally, I would like to offer huge congratulations to all those from Staffordshire who were recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours List a few days ago. Staffordshire is the beating heart of this country and people like you who put your heart and soul into our communities are a centre of that – thank you for your commitment and dedication to Staffordshire as a county.”