Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations made at the meeting.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee were approved as a true record and signed by the Chair.

[A period not exceeding 20 minutes for statements from up

to 5 members of the public on matters within the

Committee’s remit, proposing action(s) which may be

considered or contribute towards the future development of

the Committee’s work programme].

There were no Public Questions asked at the meeting.

The Committee considered the Quarter 3 Finance and Performance Report for 2022-23, which highlighted the main issues faced by the Council at the current time. The Cost of Living crisis continued to dominate with the scale and intensity of this having risen considerably.

Pressures on food, energy and other goods have meant that costs of living have risen much faster than income, which in turn has placed more demand on services across the Council, with tough choices to face in terms of priorities. The Council was facing some serious challenges, with currently, a £7.8 million overspend, meaning some difficult decisions would have to be made in terms of making savings whilst still providing the best for the borough.

The following areas were raised through discussions and consideration of the report:-

Regenerative Council

Members noted that the overall financial position had improved since Q2, yet there had been increased overspends in numerous areas and hoped the expenditure controls put into place would start to have the desired effect. There were many challenges faced across all areas, which continued to put a strain on resources. It was viewed a challenging time, with overspends continuing to increase, despite the controls in place and now, at Q3 when most expenditure for the year had been incurred, meaning that the next couple of months the spend controls would not have a great impact on the overall outturn.  By looking at reserves, additional income and other areas of expenditure and income, there were steps being undertaken to review options to offset and reduce the overspend. Officers were confident that the reserves would be sufficient to meet the overspend and there had been many conversations and meetings regarding the robustness of the budget. It was noted that there would be further ongoing pressures moving into 2023/24, which would need to be considered.  It was noted that reserves remained healthy, with £17million in general reserves and £70 million earmarked reserves. It was felt that these were substantial amounts to support the Council where needed when facing the upcoming challenges.  However, also recognised that these sums are one-off, so when they are spent they are gone.

In terms of Treasury Management, some queries were raised as to whether or not there were risks of either under or over borrowing.  Officers reported that advice was taken from our treasury advisors Link Treasury Services Limited (Link) in all aspects of this, and the strategy was approved by Council, Treasury Management Strategy Statement.  Where possible, internal resources are being used to avoid borrowing, thereby reducing borrowing costs.  It was considered that all borrowing and investment undertaken, was of low risk in order to ensure the security of the Council’s finances. Members were informed that training on this issue was due to be given in the coming months, which may help Members have a better understanding of the issues.

Developing the Skills to Live and Thrive in Work

It was reported that long-term sickness continued to be an area of concern.   It was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 45.

The Committee received the Quarter 3 Performance and Delivery Update, which gave Members the opportunity to raise any concerns on successes and challenges faced by St Leger Homes against the Key Performance Indicators for 2022-23. It was noted that Doncaster remained one of the lowest in the country for rental prices at approximately £76 per week last year, rising to £81 per week next year. This placed SLHD at the 8th lowest housing authority in the country providing value for money.

Additionally, the report also contained SLHD’s Value for Money (VFM) Annual Statement for the financial year ending 31 March, 2022. This demonstrated that SLHD was operating within a challenging budget but was robustly managed and  exhibited good or improving operational performance, with improving trends against KPIs in most areas, and represented the best performance ever achieved by SLHD.

Members were invited to put forward any questions to Dave Richmond, Chief Executive of St Leger Homes of Doncaster, who was in attendance at the meeting to present the report.

Members queried how the rising costs of materials was being impacted by the rise in inflation as this was a risk that could lead to further challenges. Officers reported that whilst costs had risen, this was now starting to level off, and work was being done to shop around. It was outlined that one of the main problems was with supply, and this was not consistent with it sometimes proving difficult to get hold of the materials needed.

A query was raised with regard to the ‘One Voice’ Forum and how this worked as there had been a decline in tenant satisfaction. The Committee was informed that there had been a decline in this nationally, and it was not straightforward to understand what the issues were causing this.  It was recognised that this  was possibly due to frustration in terms of repairs being completed in a timely manner. It was viewed important that SLHD listens to the tenants views and act upon them. SLHD continued to have tenant representatives on the Board.  It was considered important to ensure there was adequate engagement taking place and moving forward, making sure this was linked up. The one voice forum is a new umbrella group that has an oversight of all engagement activity taking place and can ensure that customers perspectives are collated for the consideration of the board.

Void properties continued to be an area of major attention, particularly around the turnaround time for re-letting void properties. The Chief Executive of SLHD reported that Doncaster continued to be one of the top performers in the country on this issue, however the locally set target was a very exacting one.  It was explained that while many void properties were re-let quickly, there were however a number of delays waiting for repairs to be undertaken before this could be carried out. The Deputy Mayor, Councillor Glyn Jones, Portfolio Holder for Housing, also in attendance at the meeting, informed the Committee that both he and the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 46.

RESOLVED that the Overview and Scrutiny Work Plan and the Council’s Forward Plan be noted.