Agenda and minutes

Members are asked to declare any interests in the items under consideration and in doing so state:

(1) the type of interest concerned either a

(a)   personal interest

(b)   prejudicial interest

(c)    disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI)

and

(2) the nature of the interest concerned

If any member requires advice on declarations of interests, they are advised to contact the Head of Democratic Governance in advance of the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest on this occasion.

To agree the minutes of the last meeting held on 8 March 2023 as a true and correct record.

The Board agreed that the minutes of the meeting held on 8 March 2023 be signed by the Chair as a true and correct record.

To consider the report of the Director of Resources on the Provisional Revenue Outturn for 2022/23 compared with the approved budget and the capital expenditure in the year ended 31 March 2023 with sources of funding.

Mr Mark Golden, Head of Accountancy presented the provisional outturn 2022/2023 to the Board. He outlined the key points from the report which had been considered by the Executive on 12 June 2023 noting that the total overspend for 2022/2023 had been £9.754 million with the largest overspends stemming from Growth and Prosperity and Children’s Social Care. Further demands had been experienced by Adult Social Care adding to the overspend with an underspend in Treasury Management.

It was noted that collection of Council Tax had grown year on year as had the Council Tax Reduction Scheme, with collection of business rates also improved on the previous year. Mr Golden also referred to the re-instatement of working balances and the issues relating to the signing of the statement of accounts. In relation to single person discount on Council Tax, Members queried the potential for fraud and it was reported that the Council had commenced an exercise to encourage residents to ensure the information they had provided was accurate prior to further action potentially being taken against identified instances of fraud. The issue had already been raised through the Audit Committee.

In relation to the Council Tax Reduction Scheme, the Board requested further information with regards to the take-up of the scheme and data regarding the bands utilising it most which Mr Golden agreed to provide following the meeting.

The Board noted the underspend relating to vacant posts in Early Help querying if these remained vacant and the impact on service provision. In response, Mr Golden advised that the saving was a one-off saving and that posts would be filled and had been filled when possible. It was expected that vacancies would have a short term impact on service provision, however, it was noted that as a percentage of the overall staffing budget, the underspend was not significant. It was agreed that this issue would be raised through the Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Committee.

Members referred to the £812k bad debt provision within the Adult Services budget. Mr Golden noted that the budget must contain a certain percentage of bad debt provision as a contingency for those not paying fees, he advised that the Council did pursue debts to collect.

In relation to the lower than expected parking income, Mr Golden advised that as a percentage of the total budget the amount discussed was not a significant amount. It was noted that the service did benchmark charges against other authorities and that further parking concerns could be explored directly with the Head of Service.

The Board raised concern in relation to the issue of grant payback and the potential implications on the budget for 2023/2024. Mr Golden advised that grants often had conditions attached to how they could be spent and therefore on occasion it was necessary for the Council to payback part or all of a grant should it not meet those conditions. In the previous few years, this issue had been exacerbated by the grants provided during the Covid  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

To consider the report of the Director of Resources on the Treasury Management Outturn Report for the year ended 31 March 2023.

Mr Mark Golden, Head of Accountancy presented the Treasury Management Strategy Outturn for the year ended 31 March 2023 to the Board. He advised that current interest rates were higher than forecast in the budget and that in the previous year there had been an underspend in Treasury Management.

The Board discussed the level of interest currently paid by the Council in each financial year and it was agreed that Mr Golden would provide an overview of the different levels of debt and interest paid over the previous five to 10 years to the Board following the meeting.

In response to questions, Mr Golden advised that the majority of the loans that the Council awarded were on a variable interest basis, that borrowing costs had increased and that the Treasury Management Panel met on a monthly basis in order to monitor concerns relating to loans and interest.

The Board agreed to:

Receive an overview of the different levels of debt and interest paid over the previous five to 10 years to the Board following the meeting.

The Board agreed to note the report.

To present performance against the Council Plan for the period 1 April 2022 – 31 March 2023.

Ms Ruth Henshaw, Performance Improvement and Project Delivery Lead presented the Council Plan Performance Report (End of Year 2022/23) to the Board. It was noted that when the Council Plan was refreshed, the details in the Plan were mapped against potential performance figures and areas to measure. The identified indicators were then considered by the Corporate Leadership Team, Leadership Board and the Scrutiny Leadership Board. During the pandemic a number of indicators had been suspended and changed due to data being collected in different ways and a number of indicators still related to Covid. It was intended that the indicators would be reviewed in the near future and amended accordingly.

She highlighted a number of issues relating to Priority 1: The Economy including the difficulty in collecting data relating to car park usage and jobs created/safeguarded from regeneration projects. In relation to Priority 2: data recorded in relation to the number of looked after children, education plans and health outcomes were highlighted. It was reported that the number of indicators relating to Adult Services was currently low due to those suspended during the pandemic and not yet re-introduced and a key aim of the refresh would be to strengthen indicators in this area.

Members raised youth justice as a key area not included within the current indicators and requested it be considered going forward. Also discussed was the reduction in the number of looked after children and the sustainability of the reduction with the high cost of residential placements of key concern.

Further information was requested relating to the reduction in referrals to Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services and the Child and Adolescent Support and Help Enhanced Response Team and it was agreed this would be provided following the meeting.

The Board discussed the way in which the Council Plan Performance Data was presented and agreed that in future it be subdivided into the remits of the four scrutiny committees for consideration by those Committees. It was noted that this would ensure service managers were present to answer questions on performance and that data could be cross-checked with the narrative being presented to the Committees.

To receive an overview from the Leader of the Council on the vision for scrutiny.

The Leader of the Council provided an overview of her vision for Scrutiny at the invitation of the Scrutiny Lead Member. She highlighted the improvements that had been made to date and key areas of potential focus such as increased public engagement and the potential to seek input from experts on subject areas.

To receive feedback from the Chairs and Vice Chairs of each scrutiny committee on the meetings held in June and July 2023.

The Chairs and Vice Chairs of the Scrutiny Committees were invited to provide an overview of the first cycle of Committee meetings held in June and July 2023. Each Chair/Vice Chair provided detail of the items presented to the Committee meetings, the types of questions asked and their perceived areas of improvement from the initial meetings. It was noted that each Committee had an upcoming workshop to consider its workplan for the remainder of the Municipal Year. The Scrutiny Lead Member queried the input of senior officers into the workplan for each Committee and requested thought be given by all to the content.

It was noted that each Committee had varied with different strengths and weaknesses identified for future focus.

To consider the Scrutiny Leadership Board workplan.

The Scrutiny Leadership Board considered and noted its workplan for the 2023/24 Municipal Year.

To note the date and time of the next meeting as the informal meeting on 12 September 2023, commencing at 6pm.

The Board noted the date and time of the next meeting as the informal meeting on Tuesday 12 September 2023, commencing at 6.00pm.