Agenda and minutes

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

All Members of the Committee were in attendance.

To approve the Minutes of the meetings of the Committee held on 22 May and 2 August 2024.

The Chair noted that, further to its consideration at the last meeting, the draft Inclusion and Diversity Strategy 2024-27 had been approved by Cabinet on 10th September 2024. The comments made by the Committee, and the amendments made in response, had been detailed in the report to Cabinet.

RESOLVED -

That the minutes of the meetings of the Committee held on 22^nd May and 2^nd August 2024 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.

The Leader of Council and the Corporate and Finance & Regeneration Portfolio Holders have been invited to attend the meeting to set out their priorities for 2024/2025.

Councillor Carole Pattison, the Leader of Council and the Portfolio Holders for Finance, Councillor Graham Turner, and Corporate, Councillor Tyler Hawkins, were welcomed to the meeting to talk about their priorities for 2025/26.

Councillor Pattison explained that:

·       The long-term vision, eight shared outcomes, and four partnership strategies remained the same. The vision was for a district that combined a strong, sustainable economy with a great quality of life leading to thriving communities, growing businesses, high prosperity and low inequality, where people enjoy better health throughout their lives.

·       The priorities set out in the 2024/25 Council Plan would continue to be delivered:

1.    Address the financial position in a fair and balanced way.

2.    Strive to transform Council services to become more efficient, effective and modern.

3.    Continue to deliver a greener, healthier Kirklees and address the challenges of climate change.

4.    Continue to invest and regenerate our towns and villages to support our diverse places and communities to flourish.

·       Recent positive outcomes included; the ‘good’ Ofsted grading which showed that children’s services had improved; progress in respect of pushing forward growth across Kirklees, including the start of work on the ‘Cultural Heart’ and the Dewsbury Riverside developments; the ongoing TransPennine Rail Upgrade; and the establishment of cross-party working arrangements, for budget setting in the first instance.

·       The new areas of focus across all portfolios for 2024/2025 were:

-       Getting the basics right; a modern organisation that meets residents’ expectations.

-       Being a responsible organisation that protects the vulnerable and drives sustainability.

-       Working with partners to empower people to thrive, including through good local health services, education opportunities and housing.

-       Driving local economic growth, particularly through the cultural sector, and making the most of opportunities through the Council’s relationship with the Government and West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

-       Working in a more collaborative and inclusive way.

·       Specific priorities for 2025/2026 were in development and would be set out in the Council Plan, alongside the budget, in Spring 2025. Work would be undertaken to engage, across the Council and with scrutiny, in developing the detail and the Authority would work with all levels of government (nationally and regionally) to meet any challenges it faced.

Councillor Turner provided an overview of the key priorities across the Finance and Regeneration Portfolio:

·       The delivery of a balanced budget for 2025/2026 and the development of a longer-term financial plan. It was noted that the financial position of the Council was still challenging but he was confident that a balanced budget, that met needs, would be achieved.

·       One of the drivers for the economic plans was the Local Plan and the development of this had begun. This was a lengthy piece of work, involving significant consultation and there was currently an open invitation to submit sites for consideration.

·       Continued rationalisation of the Council’s assets, with auctions being scheduled for October and November.

·       Continued delivery of planned investment into the district including the Levelling Up Fund schemes, the Station to Stadium Investment Zone, the University development,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.

A presentation will be given in respect of the Council Plan and Performance Update Report for Quarter 1 2024-2025, with reference to the report submitted to Cabinet on 13^th August 2024.

Contact: Mike Henry – Head of Data and Insight

Mike Henry, Head of Data and Insight, provided an update in respect of the Council Plan and Performance Update Report for Quarter 1 2024-25 with reference to the report submitted to Cabinet on 13th August 2024:

·       This was the first iteration of a new format for the Council Plan and Corporate Performance Report.

·       The first section of the report provided details on Council 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 and showed a range of improvements and challenges, which were summarised in the form of charts indicating direction of travel.

·       It was intended that future reports would include benchmarking data against the key measures, where available, which would assist in contextualizing the demand and performance trends and enable comparison of Kirklees with regional and national rates.

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 1 2024/2025.

(2)      That it be noted that the quarterly reports would be submitted to the Committee on a regular basis during 2024/25.

A presentation will be given in respect of financial monitoring for the General Fund, Revenue, DSG, Housing Revenue Account (HRA) and Capital Plan as at Quarter 1 2024/2025, with reference to the report submitted to Cabinet on 13^th August 2024.

Contact: Kevin Mulvaney - Service Director Finance

A presentation was given by Kevin Mulvaney, Service Director, Finance in respect of the Corporate Financial Monitoring Report for Quarter 1 2024/2025, with reference to the report submitted to Cabinet on 13^th August 2024. This highlighted:

·       The areas of projected overspend in respect of the General Fund, with a breakdown across each directorate and the contingences and reserves.

·       The key revenue pressures for each directorate.

·       The ongoing work in terms of savings proposals, reviewing the Capital Plan, maximising grant income opportunities and retaining tight control on spending and recruitment.

·       The Housing Revenue Account variances and key revenue pressures.

·       Capital Monitoring for each directorate and a breakdown of changes to the Capital Budget.

·       The headlines in respect of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG)

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

·       In relation to capacity within the organisation to achieve savings and take opportunities to generate new income, it was advised that there were budgets that were used to support services through transformation and there was an assumption, within the Medium Term Financial Plan, that this reserve would be replenished to ensure that there was capacity to continue to deliver service change.

·       In respect of staffing, there was a tight control on recruitment but posts that were essential for service delivery and income generation were released. It was noted that there were also challenges in recruiting in a number of areas of the organisation.

RESOLVED -

(1) That the Service Director, Finance be thanked for attending the meeting and providing an update in relation to the Corporate Financial Monitoring for Quarter 1 2024/2025.

(2) That it be noted that financial monitoring reports would be submitted to the Committee on a regular basis throughout 2024/25.

A presentation will be given in respect of the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy, with reference to the report submitted to Cabinet on 10^th September 2024.

Contact: Kevin Mulvaney - Service Director Finance

A presentation was given by Kevin Mulvaney, Service Director Finance, in respect of the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS), with reference to the report submitted to Cabinet on 10^th September 2024. This covered:

·       The principles of the MTFS.

·       The funding assumptions used in developing the strategy.

·       Analysis of the anticipated budget gap for 2025-26 and the measures to be taken to address the gap.

In response to a question, it was explained that the Chancellor would present the budget on 30^th October 2024 and this would provide an indication, at sector-wide level, which could impact on the figures. A provisional settlement would be provided by the Government in December 2024 and the final settlement in February 2025.  It was likely that the Government would also announce other grant funding separately during that timeframe, and this would be kept under review.

RESOLVED -

That the Service Director, Finance be thanked for attending the meeting and providing an update in relation to Medium Term Financial Strategy.

A presentation will be given in respect of the Quarter 1 2024-2025 Corporate Risk Report, with reference to the report submitted to Cabinet on 13^th August 2024.

Contact: Martin Dearnley – Head of Audit and Risk

A presentation was given by Alice Carruthers, Senior Finance Officer, in respect of the Quarter 1 2024-2025 Corporate Risk Report, with reference to the report submitted to Cabinet on 13^th August 2024. She explained that:

·       The report was presented in a new format which aimed to provide a summary of the key risks the organisation was facing whilst also providing sufficient content and detail to give assurance on the mitigations that were in place. This was intended to support a robust and rigorous approach to risk management across the Council.

·       The five-by-five grid gave a visual indication of the current and previous quarter score for each risk on the Corporate Risk Register, along with a target score.

·       The report also set out the controls that were in operation and the additional actions underway to address the risk.

RESOLVED -

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

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

The Committee will be advised in respect of the revised libraries delivery model and upcoming consultation, with reference to the report submitted to Cabinet on 10^th September 2024.

Contact: Mags Rogerson – Head of Local Integrated Partnerships

A presentation was given by Mags Rogerson, Head of Local Integrated Partnerships, Communities and Asset Services to provide the Committee with information in respect of the revised libraries delivery model and upcoming consultation, with reference to the report submitted to Cabinet on 10th September 2024. This included:

·       The work undertaken to develop the draft proposals, the informal consultation and the outcomes.

·       The proposed future delivery model, which had been revised further to the feedback from the informal consultation.

·       The draft Libraries Strategy and future delivery.

·       The planned formal eight-week public consultation process in respect of the future delivery model, and next steps.

·       The proposed timetable for ongoing engagement with scrutiny

Councillor Amanda Pinnock, the Cabinet Member for Education and Communities, was also present, she explained that the need for changes to delivery of the libraries service was a national issue, summarised the range of services provided and stressed the importance of the service in Kirklees. She expressed her thanks to the volunteers who helped to maintain the libraries.

RESOLVED -

(1) That the Head of Local Integrated Partnerships be thanked for attending the meeting and providing an update in relation to the proposed future delivery model for the Libraries Service.

(2) That the positive engagement with scrutiny on this issue be welcomed.

The Committee will be updated in respect of expected changes to government policy and/or legislation relevant to local government.

Contact:

Stephen Bonnell – Head of Policy Partnerships and Corporate Planning

Rachel Spencer-Henshall, Deputy Chief Executive, introduced the item explaining that Members of the Committee had been sent a briefing note to provide them with an overview of potential legislative and national policy changes, with a focus on those affecting local government and of particular relevance to the Committee’s Work Programme.

In response to a question about the consultation on the National Planning Policy Framework, which would close on 24^th September, she undertook to provide further information, in respect of this and the Council’s response to the consultation, after the meeting.

RESOLVED -

(1) That the Deputy Chief Executive be thanked for attending the meeting and providing an update in relation to Government policy and legislation.

(2) That it be noted that Lead Members would use the information, which would be provided on an ongoing basis, to identify any areas that may be of interest to their Panels.

The Committee will receive a report in respect of the scrutiny work undertaken in relation to social connectivity in Kirklees, and the response from the Cabinet Member for Education and Communities to the Committee’s recommendations.

Contact: Sheila Dykes – Principal Governance Officer

Sheila Dykes, Principal Governance Officer, introduced the Committee’s ‘Final Report - Scrutiny of Social Connectivity in Kirklees’ and the accompanying action plan, which had been completed by the Cabinet Member for Education and Communities, in response to  the Committee’s recommendations.

Councillor Amanda Pinnock, the Cabinet Member for Education and Communities, was in attendance and welcomed the comprehensive report and its recommendations. She noted the risk factors that could impact on social connectivity and stressed the importance of community hubs, the need to ensure spaces were available for people to come together and that provision was in place, from the Council and its partners, to support residents. She accepted the recommendations and undertook to ensure that this work continued. She thanked all those involved in the compilation and production of the report.

Councillor Smaje, the former Chair of the Committee, was also present for the item. She explained that the aim of the Committee’s recommendations was to assist in reducing loneliness and isolation in Kirklees and highlighted the following points:

·       The benefits of re-framing the discussion from loneliness to social connectivity.

·       Wider roll-out of the conversations guidance.

·       Addressing this issue needed to be a continuing priority for the Council and its partners, in light of the impact on the physical and mental health and wellbeing of residents.

·       The benefits, including financial, of early intervention and prevention.

·       The role of Ward Councillors.

·       The necessity of the provision of information about the available support at an early stage if an individual was dealing with a change in their circumstances, such as diagnosis of a health condition.

·       The role of schools and colleges and the dissemination of information by trusted sources.

·       The importance of befriending services.

·       The need for awareness and understanding of the impacts, across the whole of the Council, and for it to be considered as part of decision-making.

·       It would be beneficial if the Committee received progress reports in respect of the action on the recommendations, in due course.

She thanked all those who had contributed to this work and the Cabinet Member for her response.

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

·       With reference to the role of Ward Councillors and ward budgets it was suggested that it would be useful to have some guidance and perhaps specific funding dedicated to this issue. It was acknowledged that Councillors had a wider community leadership role in bringing people together and developing community vibrancy.

·       It was very important that younger people who may be at risk of or experiencing a lack of social connectivity were helped as early as possible as that would assist them in developing those skills for later life. It was suggested that children and young people should be involved in the production of guidance or sources of information such as a newsletter.

Councillor Pinnock agreed that early intervention and prevention were key in respect of addressing these issues and that wider awareness was a good starting point. Ward Councillors  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26.

The latest version of the Committee’s work programme for 2024-2025 will be submitted for consideration.

Contact: Sheila Dykes – Principal Governance Officer.

The latest version of the Committee’s Work Programme for 2024-2025 was submitted and noted.