Agenda and draft minutes

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 6 November 2025.

It was moved by Councillor Williams, seconded by Councillor Crooks and

RESOLVED – the minutes of the meeting held on 6 November be confirmed as a correct record.

To be advised of any additional items of business which the Chair decides by reason of special circumstances shall be taken as matters of urgency at this meeting.

Attention was drawn to the budget strategy report which had been accepted as a late item by the chair and would be considered at the end of the agenda.

No interests were declared.

Work programme attached.

It was noted that the next review would be the digital poverty review and that the community governance review would be added to the work programme following the second phase of consultation.

To provide an update on planning appeals for 2024/25.

Members were updated on planning appeals for 2024/25, noting that eight appeals had been allowed and 21 had been dismissed. Members felt that positive report reflected the increasing stability of the planning service.

A member asked whether the underspend on the appeals budget would lead to a reduced budget in future years and requested transparency in the use of the underspend. In response it was noted that the remaining budget had been used within the planning service and future projected costs were contained within the report.

The report was noted.

To update members on progress in relation to actions arising from the report of the Housing Task & Finish Group.

The Scrutiny Commission received an update on recommendations approved by the Executive arising from the work of the task & finish group which reviewed pressures within the housing service including homelessness. During discussion, the following points were made:

·         Homelessness levels were consistently high but there was a high number of families requiring temporary accommodation

·         The response from MHCLG to the letter from the Executive member which lobbied for various measures was disappointing

·         Council house building capacity needed to be supported by government strategy

·         The additional posts requested by the review were being considered through the budget setting process

·         Work was still being undertaken in relation to bringing empty properties back into use

·         Homelessness prevention continued to be a key focus of the housing service.

The chair expressed disappointment in the amount of time it had taken for the letter to be sent to the government following the Executive’s decision.

The update was noted.

To present the outcome of the self-assessment against the overview & scrutiny statutory guidance.

A self-assessment against the Overview & Scrutiny Statutory Guidance was presented to the Scrutiny Commission. It was proposed that the next step should be to hold a further workshop to consider priorities arising from the self-assessment and creation of an action plan. It was suggested that with local government reorganisation on the horizon, the action plan should be realistic and relevant.

It was suggested that the workshop would take place on 22 January at 4pm, prior to the next scheduled meeting of the Scrutiny Commission. On the motion of Councillor Crooks, seconded by Councillor Surtees it was

RESOLVED –

(i)            The self-assessment be endorsed;

(ii)          A workshop be arranged for 22 January 2026 at 4pm.

To review the forward plan for the period November 2025 to February 2026.

It was noted that the housing policy items on the forward plan for November had been rescheduled to enable them to come to the Scrutiny Commission prior to decision.

A member suggested that the Scrutiny Commission should monitor the implementation and progress of the food waste collection scheme. It was agreed that this would be considered for inclusion on the work programme.

Minutes of the meeting held on 10 November 2025 for information.

The minutes of Finance & Performance Scrutiny on 10 November were noted.

To consider the budget strategy for 2026/27.

The chair has agreed to accept this as a late report.

Consideration was given to the budget strategy for 2026/27 and members were updated on the fair funding review, business rates reset and government settlement. A member suggested that the capital programme and housing revenue account should be included in future budget strategy reports.

A member asked whether the impact of increasing garden waste collection charges was monitored and assessed to inform future decisions relating to increases. In response it was noted that the impact was more positive than predicted which may be due to the low charge in comparison to other local authorities.

The report and request for inclusion of the capital programme and housing revenue account in future budget strategy reports were noted.