Apologies were received from Councillor Rob Gittins (substituted by Councillor Jeff Anderson).

Members are reminded that they must declare their disclosable pecuniary interests and other registrable or non-registrable interests in any matter being considered at the meeting as set out in Appendix B of the Members’ Code of Conduct and consider if they should leave the room prior to the item being considered. Further advice can be sought from the Monitoring Officer in advance of the meeting.

Nil

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 19 February 2024 and 9 May 2024.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meetings held on 19 February 2024 and 9 May 2024 be confirmed as an accurate record.

To receive any questions from members of the public.  Deadline for notification is 5.00 pm on Tuesday 28 May.

There were no public questions.

To receive any questions of which members of the Council have given notice.  Deadline for notification is 5.00 pm on Tuesday 28 May.

There were no members’ questions.

To scrutinise performance at quarter 4 and identify issues that may require further investigation by an overview and scrutiny committee.

REPORT TO FOLLOW

The Executive Director of Resources presented the report for members to review and consider performance dashboard information and identify any areas for future consideration. Members noted that this report would be taken to Cabinet on Wednesday.

Members asked questions on various indicators, such as the timeliness of educational health care plans, the response to freedom of information requests, the number of compliments and complaints, the environmental permit inspections, and the budget outturn versus budget.

It had been acknowledged that the council were not in the position they wanted to be but that improvements would need to be prioritised as it was not possible to increase resources to meet all targets at once. Members requested an update on environmental permit inspections and a target review on the next agenda.

Members also requested an update on the social care discharge fund. The Executive Director of Resources confirmed that this information would be provided as part of the outturn report, however a request was received for a copy of the information to be sent separately after the meeting.

RECOMMENDED:

That Members noted the report and passed on their gratitude to the finance team for their hard work.

To scrutinise the Financial Outturn and identify issues that may require further investigation by an overview and scrutiny committee.

REPORT TO FOLLOW

Councillor Gwilym Butler, Portfolio Holder for Finance, Corporate Resources and Communities, introduced the report and gave his personal thanks to the finance team and wider organisation for what has been achieved to date.

The Executive Director of Resources provided an overview of the position. He mentioned that they had been able to contain expenditure within the budget and that there had been a lot of progress made in the last 12 months. However, the Council was not where it needed to be in terms of a finished article and that this would be progressed over the coming months.

Members discussed the level of overspend in various service areas. Members were advised that the main areas of overspend were in adult and children's social care, due to increased demand and inflationary pressures, which were partly mitigated by one-off funding and reserves.

Concern was raised regarding the housing and assets sections of the report and the overspend in those areas. The Assistant Director Finance and Technology responded that the housing and assets referred to the portfolio and that the overspend was in part due to demand pressure and in part due to the pace at which savings were able to be delivered during the course of the year.

Members acknowledged the need to deliver savings and transform service areas to ensure sustainability. They also talked about the importance of early intervention and prevention work to address the demand for services, particularly in adult and children’s social care.

It was stated that the council had a robust process of monitoring and managing the budget throughout the year, and had learned from the experience to improve the estimates and plans for 24/25. The council had a reasonable level of reserves going into 24/25, but still faced a huge challenge of delivering £62 million of savings and managing the demand and cost pressures in social care and other areas.

RECOMMENDED:

That members noted the report.

To scrutinise financial performance at Period 1 and identify issues that may require further investigation by an overview and scrutiny committee.

REPORT TO FOLLOW

The Portfolio Holder for Finance, Corporate Resources and Communities introduced the report and provided an overview of the changes that had been made to the way that financial information was reported. The Council were now able to get more up-to-date information on a monthly basis and which assisted in making better decisions.

Members acknowledged the amount of learning that had taken place in the last financial year and confidence building as some of these predicted savings could not be delivered within the financial year and will take one or two years. Confidence was expressed that some of the foundations put in place in the last financial year would start to come to fruition in this financial year.

Concerns were raised about the use of the term 'in development' in the report, and whether the savings were real or estimated. The Executive Director of Resources advised that the term 'in development' was used as a reasonable compromise, and that there is an ongoing organisational wide piece of work to deliver the savings.

A query was raised regarding the capital receipts and an update was requested. The Executive Director of Resources advised that there was an early expectation that they would be looking at around £30 million worth of capital receipts and that there were plans in place to deliver that. He mentioned that they would be able to provide updates on capital receipts delivery in future period monitors.

A further query was raised about the difference between cuts and efficiencies, and Members were advised that the team were redesigning the way the organisation works to deliver the relevant outcomes. 

It was noted that it was important to focus on pivotal measures and not be overwhelmed with too much information.

RECOMMENDED:

That Members noted the report.

A discussion of proposed potential topics, led by the Chair.

Members discussed the work programme and it was agreed that the next meeting would be in July.

A suggestion was received for an item to be added to the agenda to discuss the impact of any changes made by the new government on local authorities, together with the suggestion earlier in the meeting to include an item on the annual customer feedback report.

A request was received for reports to be sent out a week before the meeting if possible.

To note that the next meeting is scheduled to take place on 9 September 2024.

Members noted that the next meeting would be scheduled in July.