St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council

The committee reviewed the first-year impact of the borough library strategy, including a move to a more flexible outreach and digital model, a 66% rise in digital engagement, and a £330,000 saving from library consolidation. Members also discussed consultation and communication gaps, the use of community-led library provision, and possible income generation from events. The committee then noted cabinet approval of recommendations on economic inactivity due to long-term illness, and agreed a substantial 2026-27 work programme including waste and recycling, community safety, housing allocations, homelessness, pavement parking, asset management, road maintenance and fly-tipping.

The committee focused mainly on SEND school places and wider SEND reform, including pressures on mainstream provision, staff training, secondary transition, and alternative/resource-based provision. Members also discussed young carers support, including school champions and a possible free transport request, and agreed a scrutiny work programme covering elective home education, home-to-school transport, children’s mental health, and academisation of schools.

The Planning Committee discussed two major schemes: (1) Bird in Hand pub site redevelopment into six apartments plus five townhouses (11 dwellings total) with detailed privacy, highway and landscaping considerations; (2) Replacement Pilkington Ruskin Day Centre building, a two-storey dementia care facility with biodiversity gains and enhanced drainage. Procurement implications surfaced around required plans and mitigations: Construction Management Plan (CEMP), Parking Management Plan, biodiversity/net gain deliverables, and drainage/flood risk works, with delegated authority to officers to finalise decisions subject to bat surveys and technical inputs.

The cabinet discussed a slate of procurement- and policy-related items spanning social care reforms (Home First expansion and data monitoring), accessibility improvements to public buildings, and staff/community engagement (volunteering policy and VCFS portals). The meeting also covered asset transfer in community regeneration, the Crisis and Resilience Fund allocations and governance, and the local plan timetable. Notable action items include approving scrutiny responses, advancing procurement around therapy capacity, building accessibility upgrades, a volunteering portal, and CRF contract awards.

Executive summary: The Annual Council saw the formal appointment of Stephen Little as Mayor and Victor Floyd as Deputy Mayor, with a strong emphasis on governance, scrutiny, and community engagement. A key procurement-related discussion concerned creating a new political assistant role, estimated at £52,000 per year (about £208,000 over four years) and funded outside the current budget, which drew opposition due to pressures on frontline services and questions over necessity. Additionally, the Mayor highlighted regeneration investments exceeding £200m, indicating substantial capital activity and procurement opportunities.

The committee focused on two main licensing changes: a statutory consultation on revised taxi licensing fees, including a proposed £10 charge for vehicle compliance checks, and an extension of delegated powers to the licensing manager for low-level driver suspensions. Officers emphasised that taxi licensing is fully fee-funded and that rising demand for compliance checks is creating staffing pressure.