SPCA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2023

The SPCA Annual General Meeting for 2023 was held on the evening of Monday 30 October in the Trentham suite at the offices of Staffordshire County Council.

At the meeting, the President (Councillor Tony Holmes – Forsbrook Parish Council) was confirmed to continue in office, alongside the three Vice-Presidents (Councillors Mike Allen – Haughton Parish Council, Lewis Anderson – Horninglow & Eton Parish Council, and Pat Ansell – Cannock Wood Parish Council).  A new Chairman of the SPCA was elected (Councillor Victor Kelly – Penkridge Parish Council), and Councillor Nigel Caine – Perton Parish Council was elected as Vice-Chairman. A number of new Councillors and a Clerk joined the SPCA’s Executive Committee, including Councillor Tom Kelt – Stone Town Council, Councillor Lyn Swindlehurst – Leek Town Council, Councillor John Anderson – Outwoods Parish Council, and Mrs Dawn Plant – Clerk, Forsbrook.  Members were also elected to the SPCA’s Policy & Resources Committee, and appointments were made to representative external bodies, including the West Midlands’ Association of Local Councils and the National Association of Local Councils, amongst others.

The President invited the SPCA Chief Executive, Robert Pettigrew, to introduce the annual report & accounts for the year (2022-23), and then asked him to outline his plans for the Association. This was followed by a short introduction to the SPCA’s new Health & Wellbeing Project Officer, Andy Wheeler, who spoke about his work in delivering this collaborative project.

Following the conclusion of the formal business of the meeting, Professor Steven Griggs, of the University of Staffordshire, delivered a presentation on the future of local councils, which drew upon a study about the sector in the context of evolving public policy dynamics and highlighted three possible scenarios about how parishes and towns might respond.