Agenda item

Question 1

 

Councillor Nathan Gale withdrew his question.

 

Question 2

 

The following question was submitted by Cllr Barbara Inman:

 

“In light of the Government’s Best Start in Life Strategy which sets ambitious targets for all local authorities to significantly increase the proportion of children achieving a Good Level of Development (GLD) by 2028, what are Stockton Council’s planned measures to improve GLD outcomes for children and how will these initiatives support early years settings, families and communities across the Borough?”

 

The Cabinet Member for Children and Young People (Cllr Clare Besford responded with:

 

“I am pleased to update Council on the progress we are making through our Best Start in Life work—progress that reflects this authority’s determination to address inequality at its roots, not simply talk about it.

 

Members will be aware that achieving a Good Level of Development is a key measure of school readiness, capturing children’s early communication, physical development, personal and social skills, literacy and maths. These are the foundations of opportunity. If we are serious about fairness, if we truly believe in equality of opportunity, then we cannot allow gaps to widen before a child even starts school.

 

Last week, I presented to Cabinet our new Best Start in Life Plan, co-produced with families and partners. This plan is not just another strategy on a shelf. It is a clear statement of intent: that persistent inequalities in this borough must be confronted, not accepted; and that every child—regardless of background, postcode or circumstance—deserves the same strong start.

Our plan focuses on three priority areas.

 

First, strengthening family support and the home learning environment. Through our Family Hubs, we are improving access to parenting support, early literacy and play sessions, and providing clear information on child development. This is about practical action that empowers families, not rhetoric.

 

Second, improving speech, language and communication. We are promoting consistent early communication messages, improving joint work at the 2 to 2½ year review, expanding evidence-based programmes and investing in workforce skills. Early intervention is one of the strongest tools we have to break cycles of disadvantage.

 

Third, supporting high quality early years provision. We are working with settings to strengthen quality, improve SEND support and increase take up of funded childcare places. Access to good early education should never depend on how well a family can navigate the system.

 

To deliver this, we have established a multi-agency School Readiness Focus Group, bringing together health, education, early years providers and the voluntary sector. And in Redhill, we are testing an enhanced 0–5 offer through a new Best Start Family Hub—learning what works before scaling it borough wide.

 

Mr Mayor, improving GLD outcomes is ambitious, but it is essential if we want a fairer, more equal Stockton on Tees. This Council has made a commitment: that every child should have the strongest possible start in life. And through this plan, we are acting on that commitment.

 

I want to be clear: this is not the responsibility of one service or one administration. It is a responsibility we share with our partners, with our members.

 

We each have a role in championing early years, supporting families in our communities, promoting the use of Family Hubs, and challenging inequality wherever we see it.

 

let us work together, across parties and across wards, to support this plan, to communicate it in our communities, and to stand behind the principle that every child in Stockton on Tees deserves the very best start in life.”

 

Cllr Barbara Inman asked the following supplementary question:

 

“Would you please comment on school readiness?”

 

The Cabinet Member for Children and Young People (Cllr Clare Besford) responded with:

 

“This is being picked up by the School Readiness Group.”

 

Question 3

 

Councillor Sufi Mubeen had submitted a question but as he had left the meeting before the question could be asked, under the Constitution, the question would be referred to the next Council meeting.

 

Question 4

 

The following question was submitted by Cllr Marcus Vickers:

 

“Many residents enjoy doing their part to recycle household waste; however, the current recycling system of bags and boxes is often cited as a point of frustration for a lot of residents, particularly our elderly folk who are sometimes physically challenged with the handling of them.

 

Given the decision to transition to fortnightly waste collections, will the Cabinet Member agree with me, and a great number of our residents, that a standard recycling wheelie bin, like the ones used by our Neighbouring Authorities, would remove the frustration and physical challenges for our residents and make it easier for them to take part in the recycling initiative?”

 

The Cabinet Member for Environment, Leisure and Culture (Cllr Nigel Cooke): responded with:

 

“The Government’s new Simpler Recycling legislation, which comes into effect in April 2026, requires paper and card to be collected separately from other recyclables to reduce contamination from food and liquids. If we were to introduce wheeled bins, we would need to issue two bins per household to comply with this requirement, which presents additional logistical and space challenges for many residents as well as significant cost at a time when we can least afford it. For these reasons and following a full analysis of all options which was conducted as part of a cross party scrutiny review, the Council has decided to retain the use of bags and boxes for recycling collections. This collection arrangement also provided the most cost-effective option for the Council when considering that Council’s that use bins see contamination rates in excess of 30%, whereas Stockton’s contamination rates are less that 5%. 

 

From April, general waste will be collected fortnightly in the green wheeled bin, while recycling will be collected weekly using the existing white hessian bag, blue box, and a new blue hessian bag. Food waste will also be collected weekly using a lockable external caddy and a small internal kitchen caddy, in line with Simpler Recycling legislation. To address concerns about bags blowing away or becoming too heavy, we have previously redesigned the white bags with fastening mechanisms and weighted bottoms, and the new blue bag is now heavier at 1kg, reducing incidences of bags blowing away in extremely windy conditions. These changes are based on national legislation and evidence from WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme), which shows that reducing residual waste collections and increasing recycling collections improves recycling rates and therefore provides the most cost-effective collection solution.”

 

Cllr Marcus Vickers asked the following supplementary question:

 

“To maximise flexibility for local authorities and households, DEFRA introduced an exemption to allow the co-collection of food and garden waste. Concluding that there was no evidence that it would affect the ability to be recycled or composted, since the materials can always be processed through in-vessel composting when mixed.

 

Will the Cabinet Member agree with me that if this Labour Led Council had followed the DEFRA exemption, like many other councils, then our residents would have been able to place their garden and food waste into one wheelie bin, the costs of which were covered by DEFRA, the co-mingled waste would still be collected weekly, making it easier for residents, and the unnecessary desire to hit residents with their annual garden waste tax was entirely avoidable.?”

 

The Cabinet Member for Environment, Leisure and Culture (Cllr Nigel Cooke): responded with:

 

“We offer a subscription service but no one is obliged to participate. Our approach is based on the recommendations of the cross-party scrutiny committee. We have to consider the end point and although the Council has the option to co-mingle garden and food waste, this is not the best approach for every Local Authority.”

 

Question 5

 

The following question was submitted by Cllr Jack Miller:

 

“Given the council’s decision to move to fortnightly residual waste collections, what specific provisions will be put in place to support households that produce unavoidable sanitary and incontinence waste, particularly those with disabled or vulnerable children and adults, to ensure they are not disproportionately affected by the change?”

 

The Cabinet Member for Environment, Leisure and Culture (Cllr Nigel Cooke): responded with:

 

“From Tuesday 31st March, general waste collected in the green wheeled bin will move to a fortnightly schedule. This change brings Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council in line with national practice, where over 75% of local authorities in England have operated fortnightly general waste collections for many years. At the same time, the Council will introduce a new nationally mandated separate weekly food waste collection and we have also taken the decision to increase dry recycling collections to from fortnightly to weekly, helping to divert as much recyclable and compostable material as possible away from the general waste bin.

 

Recent compositional analysis of waste across the Borough showed that, on average, 33% of refuse placed in the general waste bin was food waste—material that will now be captured by the new weekly food waste service. In addition, more than 60% of the bin contents were also found to be recyclable through existing kerbside services. These changes are designed to maximise capacity, reduce disposal costs and support residents in managing their waste effectively.

 

We appreciate that some households, particularly those with medical needs, may find it more challenging to store waste for two weeks. To support residents in these circumstances, the Council offers additional capacity in the form of a 360 litre bin for households that meet the eligibility criteria. This includes households with six or more occupants and those with medical needs such as the use of incontinence pads. Eligibility is assessed through a recycling assessment to ensure households are effectively recycling prior to accepting the request.”

 

Cllr Jack Miller asked the following supplementary question:

 

“Residents are already expressing concern that fortnightly collections could create distressing and unsanitary conditions for families managing incontinence or medical needs. Will the Council commit to introducing or significantly expanding a dedicated hygiene or clinical waste collection service, and guarantee that vulnerable households can access it easily without complex application processes or stigma?”

 

The Cabinet Member for Environment, Leisure and Culture (Cllr Nigel Cooke): responded with:

 

“We are meeting the requirements of the legislation and following similar practice to other Local Authorities. If anyone is struggling, I would advise them to contact the Care for Your Area team to explore what could be done to make life easier.”

 

Question 6

 

The following question was submitted by Cllr Barry Woodhouse:

 

“As the Chair of the Audit Committee. I would like to ask the Leader of the Council about her ability to comment on the finances of the council?”

 

The Leader of the Council (Cllr Lisa Evans) responded with:

 

“Thank you for your question, Councillor Woodhouse.

 

I think your question arises from the last Council meeting where many members of the opposition read out pre-prepared speeches, questioning my ability to understand the Council’s finances.

 

This approach was totally expected. I knew that it was coming and I was actually quite amused by it. It must be difficult having to direct insults to me at every single meeting.

 

Do I understand the budget process? Of course I do. I am constantly briefed on the Council’s finances by Clare Harper our Chief Finance Officer, Cllr Paul Rowling as the Cabinet Member responsible for finance, yourself as the Chair of Audit and also the Chief Executive.

 

What I did say in a previous meeting was that I ask for things to be explained in simple English. I hold my hands up at that and I stand by that. I am not a finance expert.

 

I am a very self-aware person. I understand my strengths, weaknesses and where I need to develop. Am I the best person to take the finance lead? No.

The measure to me of a good Leader is to look at the team around me. Look at their strengths and weaknesses. Identify the skillset of the team and appoint into roles accordingly. That is what you call leadership.

 

After the meeting, a member of the public who was present at the meeting, wrote to me. “About tonight’s meeting, Cllr Evans. I would just like to say that I am not sure of the context you made the comment about liking things in plain English, but for you to be continually  criticised for being less than perfect (and regarding a subject that most Cllrs of all colours do struggle with) sadly reflects on the petty toxicity of politics. If you have been open about your self-perception of not being a finance expert, then this is to your credit.”

 

I chose not to respond to these pre-prepared speeches at the meeting as I believe that’s exactly what was wanted of me. I won’t take any advice from the opposition on finances or the way that I choose my Cabinet.

 

Thank you.”

 

Cllr Barry Woodhouse asked the following supplementary question:

 

“Can the Leader comment on her ability to understand Tees Valley Combined Authority budgets?”

 

The Leader of the Council (Cllr Lisa Evans) responded with:

 

“I also understand the complexities of Combined Authority budgets and do get regular briefings.”

 

Question 7

 

The following question was submitted by Cllr Carol Clark:

 

“How many children benefited from the HAF scheme this half term?”

 

The Cabinet Member for Children and Young People (Cllr Clare Besford) responded with:

 

“1704 spaces were available and booked and 1461 attended which gives 85.7% of children brought to provision.

 

Of the 1461 spaces attended, we had 443 primary children and 183 secondary aged children, amounting to an overall total of 626 unique children.

 

This can be further analysed showing we hit our target of 85% of children attending met the essential criteria of benefit-related free school meals.”

 

Cllr Carol Clark asked the following supplementary question:

 

“How is the new booking system operating?”

 

The Cabinet Member for Children and Young People (Cllr Clare Besford) responded with:

 

“The frustrations with the old booking system were well documented as part of the scrutiny review. I am pleased to say that the new booking system is working really well and is much slicker. It is much easier for larger families to navigate and we have had positive feedback from parents and providers.”

 

Question 8

 

The following question was submitted by Cllr Marc Besford:

 

“Why did the minister for innovation recently visit?

 

The Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care (Cllr Pauline Beall): responded with:

 

“Chris McDonald MP Stockton North was aware that Dr Zubir Ahmed MP (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care) was in the Borough for the opening of Fujifilm Biotechnologies and invited him to meet the Chief Executive and Leader of the Council, to discuss our Vision for the Tees Valley Care and Health Innovation Zone.

 

His visit demonstrates the national significance of our Vision, which has the potential to be game changing. By bringing together health, care, academic and industrial partners, we aim to drive innovation in diagnostics, digital technologies, workforce development and community-based health excellence. Work is already underway, and we have strong commitment from partners across the system.

 

We were encouraged by the Minister’s support across several critical areas which we hope will help accelerate progress and embed Stockton’s role and vision as the regional centre for Care and Health Innovation.”

 

Question 9

 

The following question was submitted by Cllr Eileen Johnson:

 

“Can I ask Cllr Richard Eglington about the recent public consultation into the Yarm Levelling up funding?”

 

The Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Housing (Cllr Richard Eglington): responded with:

 

“The approved LUF programme was developed in response to the publication of LUF Round 1 application in 2021 with the objectives of delivering major proposals in Yarm and Eaglescliffe. The bid focussed on delivery of improvements to cultural facilities in, and enhancements to, Preston Park Museum and Grounds (PPMG), and public realm enhancements on Yarm High Street and delivery of cycleway connections in Yarm and Eaglescliffe. 

 

The majority of the LUF programme has been delivered or is in construction with the successful redevelopment of Yarm Town Hall, completion of the Spence Building at Preston Park in September 2025, featuring a remodelled cafe and new toilets, additional parking and improvements to the Aviary and playground and work has commenced on the improved cycle link along Durham Lane to connect key employment sites and surrounding residential areas commenced.

 

The consultation on the remaining works to Yarm High Street concluded in January and the result was a clear consensus from the people of Yarm with 86% of respondents do not in support the scheme. Residents also provided some alternative ideas to improve Yarm and at Cabinet last week we considered options for the use of the LUF funding that remains including consideration of the replacement of the Pontoons in the river. We thank the public for engaging and have asked officers to bring back costed viable options for the use of remaining funding, considering the ideas identified through the consultation.”