Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence from those Members who are unable to attend the meeting.

Apologies were received from Councillor Itrat Ali and Councillor Zarina Amin.

To approve the Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 28^th February 2025.

RESOLVED -

That the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 28^th February 2025 be approved as a correct record.

Members will be asked to say if there are any items on the agenda in which they have any disclosable pecuniary interests or any other interests, which may prevent them from participating in any discussion of the items or participating in any vote upon the items.

No interests were declared.

Most agenda items take place in public. This only changes where there is a need to consider exempt information, as contained at Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972. You will be informed at this point which items are to be recommended for exclusion and to be resolved by the Committee.

All items were considered in public session.

The Committee will receive any petitions and/or deputations from members of the public. A deputation is where up to five people can attend the meeting and make a presentation on some particular issue of concern. A member of the public can also submit a petition at the meeting relating to a matter on which the body has powers and responsibilities.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10, members of the public must submit a deputation in writing, at least three clear working days in advance of the meeting and shall subsequently be notified if the deputation shall be heard. A maximum of four deputations shall be heard at any one meeting.

No deputations or petitions were received.

To receive any public questions.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11, the period for the asking and answering of public questions shall not exceed 15 minutes.

Any questions must be submitted in writing at least three clear working days in advance of the meeting.

No public questions were received.

A report will be submitted in relation to the refresh of the Kirklees Strategic Intelligence Assessment and the priorities for the Communities Partnership Plan for 2025-2026.

The report also highlights the intention to undertake a full review of the Strategic Impact Assessment and the Communities Partnership Plan during 2025 and includes highlights of some of the work that has taken place in 2024-2025.

Contact:

Sarah Mitchell, Head of Communities

Jill Greenfield, Service Director, Communities and Access Services

RESOLVED –

That consideration of the item be deferred until the next meeting to allow representatives of key partners to attend.

A presentation will be given in respect of the Corporate Financial Monitoring Report for Quarter 3 2024-2025, with reference to the report submitted to Cabinet on 11^th March 2025.

Contact: Kevin Mulvaney – Service Director Finance

Kevin Mulvaney, Service Director Finance presented the Corporate Financial Monitoring Report for Quarter 3 2024-2025, with reference to the report submitted to Cabinet on 11^th March 2025.

The Portfolio Holder for Finance and Regeneration, Councillor Graham Turner, was present and introduced the item; he advised that there had been a positive movement in the Council’s spending position.

The report set out:

·       The revenue headlines

·       Revenue monitoring, with a breakdown across each directorate;

·       Key pressures on each directorate and mitigating actions

·       Analysis of Reserves

·       Housing Revenue Account position, variances and revenue pressures

·       Direct Schools Grant headlines including pressures and mitigations

·       Collection Fund

·       Position in respect of the Capital Budget and monitoring for each directorate.

·       The Medium Term Capital Plan;

·       Prudential and treasury management indicators; and

·       An update on savings delivery across all directorates and the Housing Revenue Account (HRA).

The following points were highlighted:

·       The projected overspend of £9.9 million revenue overspend in respect of the Council’s General Fund, which was in line with the Quarter 2 position.

·       An overview of the budget variances from Quarter 2 for each Directorate.

·       There was an expectation that the position would improve by outturn.

·       The improving position in terms of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), with a reduced overspend of £1.9 million and an expectation that this would reduce further by outturn.

·       The Direct Schools Grant position remained the same as Quarter 2.

·       Capital was constantly revised to reflect slippage, with a further £33 million slipped into future years. Adjustments to the Capital Plan arising from the approved budget amendments would be reflected in the outturn report.

Questions and comments were invited from Committee Members, with the following issues being covered:

·       In respect of the future approach, it was explained that, for 2025/26, the decision had been taken to deal with the pressures by funding many of the overspends and it was therefore expected that the number of variations reported would be lower next year.

·       In respect of the variance in the Educational Psychology budget, the service was working to improve performance in respect of care plans and additional money had been put in for 2025/26 which would reduce the chances of an overspend. In relation to the relative cost of the use of in-house and external resources, it was noted that vacancies in this area were not held and recruitment did take place where possible.

·       In respect of the impact of the rise in Employer’s National Insurance on health and social care budgets; the Executive Director for Adults and Health was currently in negotiation with care providers to agree fee uplift rates and these should reflect the money put in to help fund those cost increases. The impact would be clearer after the first quarter of 2025/26.  

·       In respect of the balancing of fiscal sustainability with the demand for services; significant additional provision had been made for children’s and adult social care in 2025/26, and the updated Medium Term Financial Plan would reflect the projections for the next 3 to five years  ...  view the full minutes text for item 64.

A presentation will be given in respect of the Council Plan and Performance Update Report for Quarter 3 2024-2025, with reference to the report submitted to Cabinet on 11^th March 2025.

Contact: Mike Henry – Head of Data and Insight

Mike Henry, Head of Data and Insight, provided an update in respect of the Council’s Plan and Performance Update Report for Quarter 3 2024/2025 with reference to the report submitted to Cabinet on 11^th March 2025. He explained that:

·       The report provided an update on progress against the 2024/2025 Council Plan, as at 31 December 2024.

·       The first section of the report provided details on activity and delivery against the four priorities within the Council Plan.

·       The second section provided the latest data against the Council’s key measures for 2024/2025, including a summary of the direction of travel.

·       Benchmarking data was included, where available, which contextualised the demand and performance trends and enabled comparison of Kirklees with regional and national rates.

In response to a question about the assessment and mitigation of risks to service delivery associated with potential overspend, it was explained that the Council’s regular monitoring arrangements considered finance, performance and risk collectively to maintain a clear understanding of the position in all three areas, allowing effective management and the maintenance of tight control through triangulation of this information.

RESOLVED -

(1)      That the Head of Data and Insight be thanked for attending the meeting and providing an update in relation to the Council Plan and Corporate Performance for Quarter 3, 2024/2025

(2)      That it be noted that the quarterly reports will continue to be submitted to the Committee on a regular basis during 2025 and Lead Members will identify any issues that they consider might require further scrutiny by their respective Panel.

A presentation will be given in respect of the Quarter 3 2024-2025 Corporate Risk Report, with reference to the report submitted to Cabinet on 11^th March 2025.

Contact: Martin Dearnley – Head of Audit and Risk

Alice Carruthers, Senior Finance Officer

A presentation was given by Alice Carruthers, Senior Finance Officer, in respect of the Quarter 3 2024/2025 Corporate Risk Report, with reference to the report submitted to Cabinet on 11^th March 2025. She explained:

·       The report reflected the position at the end of Quarter 3.

·       The Care Quality Commission (CQC) had now notified the Council of its intention to inspect in May and pre-inspection packs and data had been submitted. The risk (AH02) would be updated to reflect this.

·       The budget monitoring and management risk had been updated to reflect the increased certainty of a budget overspend and the robustness of the response to manage that.

·       An overview of those areas currently having a red rating.

·       The Committee was invited to comments and asked to consider the report in the development of their work programmes. 

Questions and comments were invited from Committee Members, with the following issues being covered:

·       The external auditor’s report had been submitted to the Corporate Governance and Audit Committee. In respect of the comments on decision-making it was noted that this related to the 2023/24 period and the auditor’s perspective of a particular decision. It was felt that this did not reflect decision-making as a whole but might be used as a learning point in relation to ensuring openness and transparency of decision-making.

·       The inter-relationship between the Cabinet (Executive), Corporate Governance and Audit Committee and Scrutiny, and the responsibility of each, was noted: Executive had responsibility for managing risks, Scrutiny was responsible for holding the Executive to account in respect of the management of risk and Governance and Audit held responsibility for reviewing the system for managing risks. There was consequently the possibility of there being a small chance of duplication in respect of the material being considered.

·       In respect of management of the impact of external factors, such as government funding or national policy changes, and mitigation of associated risks, it was explained that services were expected to undertake horizon-scanning in respect of regulatory or policy change to ensure that the Authority was undertaking the right level of engagement with the relevant bodies and peers and was prepared for the future. Financial planning for changes was factored into the budget planning process.

·       The reassessment of risks associated with recent changes to welfare benefits and National Insurance was under consideration and would be factored into the Quarter 4 Risk Report. Specific services were assessing the potential for possible challenges associated with affordability.

·       It was noted that there was also a need to ensure that individuals understood the changes and any impact on their position and residents were being encouraged to seek advice and support; the Council was working with partners to assist with this.

RESOLVED -

(1)      That the Senior Finance Officer and the Chief Executive be thanked for attending the meeting and providing an update in relation to the Corporate Risk - Quarter 3 Report 2024-2025.

(2)      That it be noted that the quarterly reports will continue to be submitted to the Committee on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 66.

A presentation will be given in respect of the action plan developed to respond to the recommendations contained in the Local Government Association’s Corporate Peer Challenge Report 2024.

The action plan will be considered by Cabinet at its meeting on 8th April 2025.

Contact:

Stephen Bonnell – Head of Policy Partnerships and Corporate Planning

Michelle Hope – Corporate Planning and Co-ordination Manager

Councillor Carole Pattison, the Leader of the Council, introduced the item commenting that the Peer Challenge had been a beneficial and thorough process, and the report accurately reflected the position. Actions were already in progress to address a number of the issues raised and this action plan sought to further advance this work. Comments and suggestions from the Committee to support the delivery, monitoring, and reporting of the actions over the coming year were welcomed.

A presentation was given by Stephen Bonnell, Head of Policy Partnerships and Corporate Planning, in respect of the action plan developed to respond to the recommendations contained in the Local Government Association’s (LGA) Corporate Peer Challenge Report 2024. This highlighted:

·       Key points of feedback received from Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee and Group Leaders.

·       The actions planned, including timescales and the Service Director with responsibility for each, under the following headlines:

o   Recommendation 1 - Continue to keep a grip on the Council’s budget

o   Recommendation 2 - Apply successes and learning from transformation across the Council more widely.

o   Recommendation 3 - Regeneration Plans

o   Recommendation 4 - Planning

o   Recommendation 5 - Working with Business and Economic Partners.

o   Recommendation 6 - Member roles and development

o   Recommendation 7- Continuing to improve performance

o   Recommendation 8- A longer-term horizon

·       Delivery was underway and the actions would be closely monitored over the coming months.

·       There would be a LGA Progress Review in September 2025.

·       The LGA and the Council would publish a progress report no later than November 2025.

Questions and comments were invited from Committee Members, with the following issues being covered:

·       It was noted that an informal scrutiny session had taken place to allow Members’ comments to be fed into the development of the action plan.

·       The commitment to supporting locally owned and managed businesses was welcomed; this needed to be a core focus to retain money within the local economy.

·       It was noted that a Kirklees Economic Summit was planned to consider aspirations for growth and this would be one of the areas of focus.

·       In relation to external funding, it would be advantageous to gain a deeper understanding of the approach and what was being done to strengthen the voice of the authority with the Combined Authority to ensure it received an appropriate share of investment (and how this could be demonstrated to others).

·       Reference was made to the WYCA Brownfield Housing Fund, where Kirklees appeared to be underperforming, and an undertaking was given to explore the position in respect of this scheme.

·       It was noted that there were a number of different Combined Authority funding streams and they could be, and had been, split between the districts in differing proportions.

·       The action plan reflected the need to be clear on what Kirklees was asking for from the Combined Authority and ensuring that the district gained a fair share of the available funding.

·       The aim was to ensure that the Authority’s longer term strategies were established so  ...  view the full minutes text for item 67.

The Lead Members for the Children’s, Growth & Regeneration, Environment & Climate Change and Health & Adult Social Care Scrutiny Panels will update the Committee on the work currently being undertaken by their panels.

Contact: Sheila Dykes – Principal Governance Officer

The Lead Members for the Health & Adult Social Care Scrutiny Panel and the Environment & Climate Change Panel updated the Committee on the work currently being undertaken by their panels.

The latest version of the Committee’s Work Programme for 2024-25 will be submitted for consideration.

Contact: Sheila Dykes – Principal Governance Officer

The latest version of the Committee’s Work Programme for 2024/2025 was considered.