Agenda item

Question 1

 

The following question was submitted by Councillor Jack Miller:

 

“Following the recent and damning investigation report by the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman in which this council was found to have sent nearly 100 mendacious letters to the families of vulnerable children, saying review meetings regarding their Educational, Health and Care Plans had taken place, when the council were aware that they had not, the Ombudsman made several recommendations, one of which was,

 

•           The Council should consider the report at its full Council, Cabinet or other appropriately delegated committee of elected members and we will require evidence of this. 

 

Why did the leader decide that the report should be considered by the Cabinet, rather than the full Council?”

 

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Resources and Transport responded with:

 

“Thank you, Councillor Miller, for your question. Just to be very clear: this was not a decision made by [me / the Leader]. The Ombudsman’s correspondence is drafted in broad terms—referring to ‘full Council, Cabinet, or another appropriately delegated committee’—to reflect the wide range of governance models and functions that exist across local government.

 

However, the Monitoring Officer has advised that, in councils like ours which operate under executive arrangements, the law is clear: reports of this nature, where they concern an executive function such as this, must be reported by the monitoring officer to the Executive. For Stockton, that means Cabinet.

 

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities fall within the scope of executive functions, and there’s a clear logic to the requirement—if fault has been found, it is the Executive that holds the authority to make the decisions necessary to improve matters.

 

Members already have access to the Ombudsman’s report, and it is publicly available. The next step is simply to follow the legal process: Cabinet will consider the report, as required by law.”

 

Councillor Jack Miller asked the following supplementary question:

 

“Thank you for the technical response. I and many others look forward to reading the report to Cabinet. One issue is openness and a lack of scrutiny. Will the Leader or Cabinet do the right thing and make a full apology?”

 

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Resources and Transport responded with:

 

“We are following a legal process. An apology has been made and there has been a statement issued from the Director of Children’s Services. We are looking at learning and a report will be presented to Executive Scrutiny Committee so they can scrutinise what is being done.”

 

Question 2

 

The following question was submitted by Councillor Tony Riordan:

 

“Stockton Globe Theatre recently installed a retractable floor. The revolutionary new flooring allows the auditorium to seamlessly transform from traditional tiered seating to a completely flat space, opening up possibilities for even more live experiences such as seated gala dinners and conferences. 

 

Can the Leader confirm that the new retractable flooring system was not funded by the local taxpayer?”

 

The Cabinet Member for Environment, Leisure and Culture responded with:

 

“The Council did not fund or contribute to the costs of the removable flat floor.”

 

Councillor Tony Riordan asked the following supplementary question:

 

“What negotiations took place on behalf of ourself as the leaseholder?”

 

“The exploration of the potential for different uses in the space through the installation of this bespoke floor is being driven by the venue operator, ATG. The investment by ATG is a great illustration of the commitment they have to the venue and to building on the programme success achieved so far.”

 

Question 3

 

The following question was submitted by Councillor Niall Innes:

 

“At 3.51pm on Wednesday 10th September 2025 the Leader of the Council emailed the traders in The Shambles to inform them that the Council will not be repurposing the building. At 4pm the same day the Leader of the Council issued a press release on the Councils Facebook page along the same lines.

 

Once again members have had to discover the decisions made by the present Labour Cabinet via social media.

 

Does the Leader of the Council think this is now the appropriate method to keep members updated of their decision making?”

 

The Leader of the Council responded with:

 

“The Blueprint for Central Stockton has always been about promoting the future prosperity of the town centre and has always supported the role of local small businesses in that endeavour.  Officers have had numerous individual meetings with existing Shambles traders to understand their business plans and explore their future options including viewing alternative premises and exploring the costings of these options. Following those business meetings, both Cllr Rowling and I met with all traders who wanted to have a discussion. These were constructive and positive conversations and there was a lot of positivity about the potential future options on the table, however at those meetings traders were largely in favour of the option to stay in the Shambles. This Cabinet is a strong supporter of local businesses, and the sentiment of local businesses is important to us and helps us shape our future plans. We decided that the decision to change the use of the Shambles was not the right one to make at this time and we personally phoned every single trader to inform them of this view before the cabinet papers were published and before any press release was issued.”

 

Councillor Niall Innes asked the following supplementary question:

 

“The response does not answer the question. Members became aware that the building was not to be re-purposed through messages on social media rather than by email. Can the Leader explain how politically neutral officers were persuaded to issue a politically loaded press release?”

 

The Leader of the Council responded with:

 

“The usual communications practice was followed. I exercised my executive function after speaking to all businesses and have never sent an email to other Councillors to advise them of my decision in this type of situation.”

 

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Resources and Transport also responded with:

 

“It was my decision to issue the further press release not Council Officers.”

 

Question 4

 

The following question was submitted by Councillor Tony Riordan:

 

“In September last year the then Council Leader, stated that “productive discussions with potential tenants" for were ongoing for the £500k plus Debenhams building the Council had purchased. In November, the Cabinet member for Regeneration and Housing informed members “I can inform council tonight that the council is in advanced negotiations with a potential tenant for the rear portion of the ground floor of the building…”

 

Can the Leader of the Council confirm members that this is now not the case, and what is the net cost to date for the local taxpayer?”

 

The Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Housing responded with:

 

 

Question 5

 

The following question was submitted by Councillor Marcus Vickers:

 

“In 2019 the Cabinet member for Housing and Regeneration said “Whilst owning Wellington Square will actually make us money that’s not why we’re doing it.?The financial performance for the Wellington Square for 24/25 was an overspend of £353,000 against the allocated budget. 

 

Does the Leader of the Council acknowledge that the Labour Groups folly of buying up retail units in Stockton Town Centre using local taxpayers’ money has failed?”

 

The Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Housing responded with:

 

 

Question 6

 

The following question was submitted by Councillor Jason French:

 

“Following the previous Conservative Governments’ financial support for our fantastic Borough, in particular the millions of pounds provided through levelling up funding to build the museum extension and café at Preston Hall, which have recently opened to the public. 

 

Can the Leader of the Council provide the details of the consultation that took place with members to decide on naming the extension and café as ‘The Spence Building’ and ‘The Spence Café?”

 

The Cabinet Member for Environment, Leisure and Culture responded with:

 

“Colonel Gilbert Ormerod Spence — born here in Stockton in 1879 — was a decorated soldier, councillor, and Mayor of Thornaby. On his death in 1925 he left a significant cultural gift to the Borough: over three thousand objects of arms, antiques, and articles of interest — together with a charitable trust to safeguard the bequest.

 

Ever since, that trust has shaped how the Council must recognise and care for the Spence Collection. In 1966 the High Court required part of Preston Hall Museum to be permanently designated in his name. And in 2014 a Deed of Gift from the trust provided charitable funds towards new storage and display facilities at Preston Hall — specifically referred to as the Spence Building — with provision for suitable reprovision if the facility were ever replaced or modernised.

 

The new extension, supported by Levelling Up funding, delivers those commitments while also adding to the wider cultural offer of Preston Park Museum and its historic links with the Stockton and Darlington Railway.

 

Those commitments — and the obligation to honour Colonel Spence — still exist. And notwithstanding the fantastic investment that has gone into the museum and grounds, we cannot simply set aside the heritage that comes with them.

 

So it is helpful to be reminded, through this question, of the part played by Colonel Spence in securing cultural assets for the Borough — and perhaps it will encourage others to take an interest in his story, and his role in our history.”

 

Councillor Jason French asked the following supplementary question:

 

“Does the Cabinet Member agree that the appropriate protocol to engage with Members Advisory Panel has been ignored?”

 

The Cabinet Member for Environment, Leisure and Culture responded with:

 

“We have a commitment to honour Colonel Spence in any future exhibit. We are living up to that commitment and I firmly believe that we have done the right thing to protect our heritage. There have been no complaints on social media but instead praise for the investment in this wonderful facility for our Borough.”

 

Question 7

 

The following question was submitted by Councillor Nathan Gale:

 

"Could the cabinet member tell us more about the 20 million boost for our communities in Stockton and Portrack announced by the government?"

 

The Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Housing responded with:

 

 

Question 8

 

The following question was submitted by Councillor Paul Weston:

 

"Could the cabinet member update us on the recent exciting news that Stockton has been named as one of the national health implementation vanguard programme areas?"

 

The Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care responded with:

 

Thank you for your question, which as you state is exciting news for Stockton and which I hasten to add has been widely reported on in the media.

 

Stockton-on-Tees has been selected as one of the first wave sites for the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP). This opportunity positions us at the forefront of informing development and implementation of national policy, to benefit the health and wellbeing of local people.

 

The Department for Health and Social Care have selected us as one of 42 places chosen across the country, from 141 applications. The National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme aligns with our priorities (Stockton-on-Tees Plan and our Health and Wellbeing Strategy) and is part of implementing the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan.

 

The aim of the proposal is to:

 

·         focus more on prevention of ill health

·         bring care and support closer to local people

·         make best use of the collective strengths and resources we have across the borough and partners, to improve health and address inequalities

 

We will do this through working as a collective team across all key partners, and through working closely with communities to help meet their needs and enable them to access the support available.

 

It builds on the significant existing good work across the borough, including extensive regeneration work, the development of the Tees Valley Care & Health Innovation Zone, the Community Diagnostic Centre, our local primary care services and vibrant VCSE / community activity.

 

In-line with the phase one application requirements, the work focuses initially on supporting adults with, or at risk of, long term conditions (such as diabetes, heart disease etc.). However the aim is to learn from the new ways of working we will establish, so we can apply this approach more widely.

 

The work will focus initially on the area of central Stockton and Portrack (middle super output a rea) – as an area experiencing the poorest health outcomes in the borough.  We will learn from this and look at how we can apply it more widely across the borough. This programme does not bring with it additional financial resources. The focus is on how we and our partner organisations with the community can work even more effectively and innovatively together, bringing our collective resources to bear. The Central Stockton and Portrack area aligns with that identified by the Government as a Trailblazer area.

 

We will be collectively monitoring the work to understand the impact it is having from our communities’ perspectives.

 

Partners working closely together on the Programme include the Council, North East & North Cumbria ICB, Hartlepool & Stockton Health (GP Federation), local Primary Care Networks, University Hospitals Tees, Catalyst (VCSE infrastructure organisation), Tees Esk & Wear Valleys NHS Trust (mental health), Local Medical Committee, Community Pharmacy, Teesside University and Tees Valley Combined Authority.

 

I hope this has provided an insight and how we will be driving this initiative.  We will of course be sharing our journey with and learning from others nationally and of course locally.