9 October 2025 – Cabinet Meeting
There’s a particular kind of tension that fills a room when people are deciding what gets funded and what gets forgotten. This Cabinet meeting had it in spades – councillors approving a £2.3 million investment in leisure facilities while residents’ fences blow down in storms and antisocial behaviour goes largely unrecorded because the paperwork takes too long to fill in.
But here’s what made this meeting particularly instructive: Cabinet approved that £2.3 million based on assurances that “evidence” existed, without actually seeing any of it. No data. No demand analysis. No business case. Just trust us, we’ve done the work.
This isn’t a story about corruption or incompetence. It’s something more uncomfortable than that: it’s about a council making calculated choices about what to invest in and what to let slide, and doing it with far less scrutiny than £2.3 million of public money deserves.
The Big Bet: £2.3 Million for Leisure
The headline from the meeting is straightforward enough: Cabinet approved £2.306 million of capital investment across Cannock Chase Leisure Centre, Rugeley Leisure Centre, and Cannock Park Golf Course. It’s one of the biggest investment decisions this council will make this year, and Councillor David Williams presented it as “evidence-based strategic investment” rather than “guesswork.”
Here’s the problem: Williams claimed the proposals were based on market demand assessment, membership data, site visits, and staff feedback. What he didn’t do was actually show Cabinet any of that evidence. No membership figures. No demand analysis. No market gap assessment. No data on neighbouring authorities’ provision or pricing. Just the assertion that this evidence exists somewhere.
Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion. And Cabinet just approved £2.3 million worth of opinion.
To be fair, Williams did explain what the money would buy: soft play and party rooms at Chase Leisure Centre (he claimed strong demand and low capacity in the area), a new café at Cannock Leisure Centre to serve visitors of Cannock Park (because there’s currently nowhere to get a cup of tea after upgrading the park), two paddle tennis courts (fastest-growing sport in the UK, zero provision in the district), gym expansion at Rugeley (free weights area “currently saturated”), and new irrigation systems for the golf course greens (managing maintenance and revenue protection).
Williams framed it in stark terms: “The alternative is declining facilities that cannot compete with neighbouring authorities who are investing… revenues decline, facilities deteriorate further, and we end up with more expensive retrofits when we’re forced to act.”
Prevention investment, he argued. In a district where health inequality is significant, having strong leisure provision isn’t a luxury – it’s essential to improving health outcomes. Nobody on Cabinet questioned this assertion, despite the absence of health impact data or outcomes analysis.
But here’s what makes this interesting: timing. The council is currently procuring a new ten-year contract for leisure operations, with the goal of having an operator in place by April 2026. Williams explained this investment is designed to demonstrate commitment – to show potential bidders that the council is serious about leisure provision and willing to invest in infrastructure.
Translation: we need to spend money to attract someone who’ll run these facilities properly. Without the investment, we get lower-quality bids or no viable bids at all.
Fair enough as a strategy. But wouldn’t it have been useful to see the business case? The demand modelling? Some evidence that these specific investments will actually generate the returns Williams promises?
The annual borrowing costs work out to £76,867 per year for thirty years to cover the core loan value, with total interest of £648,000 repaid over the initial ten years, meaning total payments during the first ten years will be £141,667 per year – all ultimately paid for by residents through their tax bill. The council is reviewing the capital programme to see if resources can be released to reduce borrowing requirements, but even with full borrowing, Williams insisted this is “sustainable investment in long-life, income-generating assets.”
The Cabinet approved it unanimously. Not one question about the missing evidence. Not one request to see the market demand assessment or membership data Williams referenced. Just approval.
Question is: will it work? We’ll find out when the contract starts in April 2026.
The Fence Repair Backlog
While Cabinet was approving £2.3 million for leisure facilities, the council’s housing portfolio holder was reporting that the housing department has a backlog of fence repairs so severe they’ve employed an external contractor called Wise to help clear it. Three storms this year brought down “meters and meters and meters of fencing,” and even with the extra help, the depot is booked solid until next year.
“We’re still just about caught up with the fencing,” they reported. Just about.
There are 1,117 people on the waiting list for social housing. The council is managing trip hazards in properties following complaints. These are basic maintenance issues – the stuff that doesn’t make headlines but matters enormously to the people affected.
And then there’s the antisocial behaviour problem.
The Paperwork Problem Nobody Wants to Fix
Councillor Steve Thornley raised a revealing issue: CCTV cameras in Cannock Park capture footage of criminal damage and antisocial behaviour, but the information “goes nowhere” because filling in the paperwork to report it takes staff about an hour and a half per incident.
“I’m assuming that other parks must have the same problem,” Thornley said. “Our staff have reported they’ve not seen a policeman or PCSO for x number of months” – but the fundamental problem remains: the bureaucratic burden of reporting is so extensive that staff simply don’t have time to do it. Multiple incidents per weekend in some parks, and most of them never get formally recorded.
The council’s Community Safety Team has issued ninety warning letters since February under enhanced Public Space Protection Orders, with an 84% resolution rate at that stage. Fourteen Fixed Penalty Notices have been issued. That’s the official line – intervention works if you persist.
But if incidents aren’t being recorded in the first place because the reporting process is broken, what are we actually measuring? How many incidents are we missing?
Councillor David Williams promised to speak to the community safety team and the local police commander about the issue. We’ll be watching to see if anything changes.
The Charity That Forgot to File
Buried in the discussion about the £2.3 million leisure investment was a genuinely concerning revelation from Councillor Maureen Freeman: Cannock Park Golf Course, which operates as a charity, hasn’t filed returns with the Charity Commission for almost three years.
“The returns by this council have not been filed for almost three years,” Freeman stated. “I don’t know, I have no idea, and I don’t think anyone else has any idea what the income is off the golf course.”
This matters because the council is about to hand management of these facilities to a new operator under a ten-year contract. That operator needs to know the full financial status of what they’re taking on. The golf course operates under trust land with specific covenants and rules about how income must be handled – it’s not the same as the rest of the contract.
Freeman checked the Charity Commission website that morning and found the returns were over 900 days overdue, showing in red on the system. “This has happened previously,” she noted, where she’d personally had to get it put right.
Head of Wellbeing, Anna Nevin, confirmed they’re aware of the issue and she assured Cabinet that solicitors working on the procurement have been alerted to the trust land complications, and a team member has flagged the late Charity Commission returns and is dealing with it.
But three years of missing returns? That’s not an oversight. That’s institutional failure – the kind that happens when nobody’s job depends on getting it right, so it keeps slipping down the priority list until a councillor raises it publicly.
The Things That Work
Not everything in Tuesday’s meeting was problematic or concerning. Some things are genuinely working well:
Economic indicators look strong. The employment rate in Cannock Chase (81.5% of economically active population aged 16-64) compares favourably to the West Midlands (73.9%) and national rates (75.4%). The claimant count is 3.1% – above the county-wide 2.8% but significantly below the national 4.1%. Portfolio holder Maureen Freeman delivered these figures clearly and without spin.
Town centre regeneration is progressing. Demolition of the former multi-storey car park is nearly complete. The planning application for demolition of the former Forum Shopping Centre goes to Planning Control Committee on 15th October. McArthurGlen’s second phase has planning permission, bringing more investment and jobs. M&S is opening a new, larger foodhall on the orbital retail park before Christmas.
Climate change appointments. Councillor John Preece announced two new climate change officers: Martin (climate action officer, working with businesses on climate strategy and funding access) and Jake (climate change officer, supporting the council’s climate strategy). Small team, focused remit, clear purpose.
Housing First is working. Councillor David Williams reported that the council’s first Housing First resident has “graduated” to a secure Cannock Chase District Council tenancy while keeping the wrap-around support they’ve built. A second resident is due to graduate soon. This is intensive support for rough sleepers working as designed – getting people housed and keeping them there.
Laburnum Avenue Park improvements. Councillor Garry Samuels filmed promotional content showing the new play equipment. The dinosaur sculpture that had been repeatedly vandalised is being repaired and will return with security fencing by the end of October.
These aren’t dramatic wins, but they’re solid, incremental progress. The kind of work that doesn’t generate headlines but makes the district marginally better.
The Questions Cabinet Didn’t Ask
For a decision of the magnitude of the district leisure investment, here’s what Cabinet should have requested but didn’t:
Market demand data: What’s the actual demand for soft play facilities in the district? How many families are currently travelling to other areas? What’s the revenue potential?
Membership analysis: What are current membership numbers? Retention rates? Which specific facilities are at capacity and which are underutilised?
Competitive assessment: What are neighbouring authorities investing in? What are their membership fees? How much business are we losing to them?
Business case projections: What’s the expected return on investment for each element? How long until the income-generating assets actually generate enough income to justify the borrowing costs?
Health impact evidence: Williams claimed this was about improving health outcomes in a district with health inequality. Where’s the health impact assessment? What outcomes are we actually expecting to improve?
Operator feedback: The report states positive discussions are continuing with potential operators. What are they actually saying? Have any expressed concerns about the current facilities? Do they support these specific investments?
None of this was presented. None of it was requested. The Cabinet approved £2.3 million on the basis that someone, somewhere, has done this analysis and it supports these conclusions.
That’s not evidence-based decision making. That’s evidence-assured decision making. “Trust us, the evidence exists.”
Maybe it does. But we didn’t get to see it. And neither, apparently, did Cabinet.
What Happens Next
Most of the leisure investment projects will be delivered between April and October 2026, aligning with the new contract start. The golf course irrigation system will be delivered earlier to take advantage of the quieter winter period, subject to procurement.
The planning application for Forum Shopping Centre demolition goes to Planning Control Committee on 15th October.
The Charity Commission issue for Cannock Park Golf Course is apparently being dealt with – we’ll be monitoring whether returns actually get filed.
And presumably, someone will eventually fix those fences. Just not this year.
Watch the full meeting recording at the start of this article once it is available.
If you spot any errors in our reporting, please let us know at hello@projectdaylight.co.uk
Project Daylight is an independent journalism project focused on transparency and accountability in Cannock Chase District Council.
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