Agenda, decisions and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 3 June 2025.

The Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 3 June 2025 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

To receive communications from the Chair.

There were no Chair’s announcements.

The Chair to advise whether they have agreed to any item of urgent business being admitted to the agenda.

There were no items of urgent business.

Report of Assistant Director of Finance (S151 Officer) and Assistant Director Customer Focus

Purpose of report

To report to the committee the council’s forecast financial position and performance at the end of Year 2024-25. 

The full report, as submitted to the 10 June 2025 Executive meeting, is submitted to Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The Overview and Scrutiny Committee is responsible for considering the performance aspects of the report (Sections 4.3, 4.4 and 4.5, Appendices 8 and 9). The Budget Planning Committee is responsible for considering the finance aspects.

(Please note that there is no appendix 6)

Recommendations

The Overview and Scrutiny resolves:

1.1     To consider and note the contents of the council’s financial and performance report at the End of Year 2024-25, focussing on the performance aspects.

Resolved 

(1)        That the Council’s End of year performance report for 2024/25 be noted.

(2)        That Executive be recommended to consider how agency staff costs are included in departmental budgets, specifically for Waste Services, to better reflect the need to use agency staff to maintain 'business as usual'.

The Committee considered a report from the Assistant Director – Customer Focus that detailed the council’s performance position at the end of the financial year 2024-2025.

In introducing the report, the Assistant Director – Customer Focus advised that the council had performed well against its objectives, which consisted of 36 Business Plan Measures, 15 Annual Delivery Plan actions, and 25 Equalities Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan activities. Of the 19 business plan measures 11 achieved their year-end target or were within the agreed tolerance, with the remaining eight measures missing their target and ending the year reporting red.

In response to a question relating to indicator BP 1.2.01, number of households living in temporary accommodation, and the possible reasons for the increase in demand, the Assistant Director – Housing & Wellbeing advised that many factors contributed to the increase. These included some landlords leaving the market due to the impending Renters Rights Bill, leading to a reduction in available properties; a static local housing allowance rate that wasn’t keeping pace with rental amounts; ongoing cost of living implications since the pandemic; and more complex cases with health needs being presented.

In response to a question regarding the £0.663m overspend in Environmental Service which was primarily due to an increased usage of agency staff within the waste collection team, the Assistant Director of Environmental Services explained that due to the urgent nature of the service agency staff had to be used to supplement any shortages to enable the service to continue. The service had experienced an increase in sickness absence, including some long term absences, and this had resulted in additional agency staff being required. 

The Corporate Director – Communities added that the way the budget was profiled across the financial year meant that the year-end report always showed the department as having an overspend, due to the fluctuations in agency staff use across the year.

In response to a follow-up question on support available for staff with regular or long-term sickness absence, the Corporate Director – Communities explained that the team worked alongside HR to signpost services and support available via the Employee Support Programme, as well as occupational health where required. 

It was recommended and agreed by Committee that as the use of agency staff within Waste Service was necessary for the service to operate ‘business as usual’, Executive be recommended to consider how agency staff costs are included in departmental budgets.

Resolved 

(1)          That the Council’s End of year performance report for 2024/25 be noted.

The Chairman, Assistant Director – Law and Governance/Monitoring Officer and the Principal Officer – Scrutiny and Democratic Lead will facilitate a discussion on work programme planning for the 2025-2026 Municipal Year.

Committee members will have the opportunity to propose subjects for consideration, and should bear in mind the five roles of scrutiny:

·       Performance Monitoring

·       Policy Development

·       Policy Review

·       Holding the Executive to Account – the latest version of the Executive Forward Plan can be viewed via the Cherwell District Council website

·       External Scrutiny

The Committee will also need to consider whether the following three working groups should continue in 2025-2026.

·       Climate Action

·       Food Insecurity

·       Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (joint group with Personnel Committee)

Officers will also give details of suggested topics by service areas, for Committee consideration. 

Resolved 

(1)         That the list of suggested subjects for the 2025-26 work programme (annexe to minutes as set out in the minute book) be approved.

(2)         That the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Committee work with officers to schedule the agreed items as appropriate.

(3)         That it be agreed that the Food Insecurity and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion working groups do not continue as Overview and Scrutiny Working Groups, and relevant officers from the service be requested to discuss with relevant Portfolio Holders the best way to monitor and review progress made on these subjects.

(4)         That the Climate Action continue later this Municipal Year, once work is underway to update the Climate Action Strategy.

The Committee considered a list of suggested subjects to form the basis of the work programme for the 2025-26 municipal year.

The Chair summarised each suggested subject, taking questions, comments and views from the Committee as to whether they should be included on the indicative work programme.

Regarding Local Government Reform and whether there was a role for the Committee in the proposals, the Chair explained that officers had advised the subject would be considered by full Council, and therefore open to scrutiny by all Members. An overview on workstreams to date could be provided to the Committee if it were felt necessary.

The Committee agreed that as the subject was to be considered by full Council, it was not necessary to add it to the work programme.

Regarding a question relating to CDC employment policies, the Chair advised that the Personnel Committee and the Assistant Director of Human Resources would be better placed to address the queries in the first instance. The Committee agreed that it was not necessary to add the subject to the work programme.

In response to a question relating to the frequency of updates regarding the transformation programme, the Assistant Director – Customer Focus suggested quarterly reports may be most suitable initially but added that timing could be reviewed once work was underway.

In response to the Chair’s request for any further subjects for consideration, a request was made for an item relating to housing developers’ implementation of section 106 obligations. There were many new housing developments across the district, and in some cases, developers were building the housing elements but not any of the additional facilities such as parks or other amenity infrastructure. The Corporate Director of Communities suggested that the performance of Section 106 delivery within the district.

The Chair referred to the three working groups that had been established in 2023-2024 and continued during the last municipal year: Climate Action; Food Insecurity; and Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion (joint with Personnel Committee) and asked for Members’ views on whether the working groups should continue.

The Committee agreed that following the publication of the end of year reports, which made recommendations to the Executive, the Food Insecurity and Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion groups should not continue as Overview and Scrutiny Working Groups. It was suggested that officers discuss with relevant Portfolio Holders the best way to monitor and review future progress made on these subjects. 

Regarding the Climate Action working group, the Corporate Director – Communities explained that there would be a role for the group during the updating of the Climate Action Strategy, but that work was not due to start until later in the year. It was suggested that the group continue once that work was underway. 

Resolved 

(1)         That the list of suggested subjects for the 2025-26 work programme (annexe to minutes as set out in the minute book) be approved. 

(2)         That the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Committee work with officers to schedule the agreed items as appropriate.

(3)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.