Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillor Weightman.

To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting

It was moved by Councillor Sutton, seconded by Councillor Stead-Davis and

RESOLVED – the minutes of the meeting held on 16 December be confirmed as a correct record.

No interests were declared.

To repot to members on the performance of Street Scene Services

Members received the frontline service review report for Street Scene Services. During debate, the following was noted:

·         There was no charge the council for removing individual abandoned vehicles

·         Some companies had started to use lighter packaging so the weight of recycling had reduced

·         The monitoring data for cost of collection would be shared with members

·         Rollout of domestic food waste collections would commence over an eight-week period from 1 February 2026 in order to meet the government’s target of 31 March 2026

·         There remained only a small number of council vehicles using diesel

·         More publicity in relation to responsibility for maintenance of trees with ash die back disease was required.

It was requested that future reports contain more financial information on the cost of the service and level of income.

To present to members the financial outturn position as at December 2024

Consideration was given to the financial outturn for the first quarter of 2024/25. It was noted that the 2027/28 position was less certain.

Members questioned the overspend on the local plan which was ongoing. Members requested a brief report on expenditure on the local plan to the next meeting.

To inform members of the business rates performance from 1 April 2024 to 31 December 2024.

Members were informed of business rates performance to the end of December 2024. It was noted that there had been an increase in the number of refunds requested by businesses who were reducing their operational footprint.

To inform members of the positon on sundry debts as at 31 December 2024.

The position in relation to sundry debts at 31 December 2024 was presented. In response to members’ questions, the following points were noted:

·         Most older debts, with the exception of homelessness, would be paid back in six months to a year

·         Data showed that debts were being collected more promptly.

Late item received after preparation of main agenda

To inform members of the Performance and Risk Management Framework 3rd qtr. summary for 2024/25

Consideration was given to the performance and risk management third quarter summary. The following comments were made:

·         The cell shading in the table caused confusions and should be removed if it served no purpose

·         The tables within the report should be formatted so the table heading displayed on every page

·         Audit Committee’s terms of reference had been amended to include risk and fraud, whereas scrutiny of risks remained with Finance & Performance Scrutiny

·         It would be useful if the table showed positive or negative change.

Members felt that they received only a snapshot of the performance indicators and asked if the full suite could be provided on the members’ sharepoint site for context.

Members were not comfortable with the change in reporting on CSMD01 (absence related to work stress, depression, anxiety, mental health and fatigue) to annually rather than quarterly and requested that the reasons for the change be brought back to the next meeting.

To update members on the work programme

In considering the work programme, members suggested that the chairs and vice-chairs of the overview and scrutiny bodies be asked to consider whether the budget strategy and budget reports would be more appropriate business for Finance & Performance Scrutiny than the Scrutiny Commission.

It was suggested that progress reports on local government reorganisation, including any proposals to create a town council for Hinckley, be brought to Finance & Performance Scrutiny. In response, it was noted that these would be brought to members at the appropriate times.