Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber - Civic Office

Contact: Christine Rothwell  Tel. 01302 735682

Items
No. Item

6.

Declarations of Interest, if any.

Minutes:

No declarations were reported at the meeting.

7.

Minutes from the Meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee held on 30th March 2023 pdf icon PDF 106 KB

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 30th March, 2023 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

8.

Public Statements.

[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].

 

Minutes:

There were no public statements made at the meeting.

9.

2022-23 Quarter 4 Finance and Performance Improvement Report pdf icon PDF 2 MB

Minutes:

The Committee considered the Quarter 4 Finance and Performance Report for 2022-23, and highlighted significant issues faced by the Council that included inflation levels, ‘Cost of Living’, pressures on the wider housing system and the ability to achieve good economic growth. Despite all the challenges the recent Local Government Association Peer Review visit suggested that the Council continued to operate effectively as a council and provided good value for money.

 

It was reported that the Council was not immune from inflationary pressures which was reflected in the revenue budget outturn position. The outturn had reduced to a £3.0m overspend compared to £7.8m in quarter 3 in part due to the managerial decisions taken to delay and reduce non-essential spend.  The report stated that the Council continued to explore all options to retain a functioning airport in Doncaster.

 

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

 

Regenerative Council

 

Members noted the lower than expected overspend in the current quarter and asked whether these decreases would continue in the next quarter. It was also asked whether any additional strategies or measures would be put in place to further reduce the overspend. In response, it was advised that the outturn was better than expected for several reasons. As the Council were part owners in the Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham (BDR) Waste facility, which sells electricity, the prices regarding waste and electricity rose and as a result the Council received a dividend of £1.3m which improved the financial position.

 

This year, the Council would start from zero and services would need to build up with a new capital programme outlining a whole set of new projects to start.   The Council would then endeavour to work to a balanced budget by the end of the year.

 

In terms of the risk rating, it was explained that the failure to deliver the Medium-Term Financial Statement (MTFS) was showing as red as this was about threats and barriers in the MTFS being delivered and what was put in place to mitigate those risks. In terms of the MTFS, the Council must plan its financial strategy over a 4-year timeframe allowing it to outline its vision and priorities.

 

Discussion took place regarding the increasing costs associated with Out of Authority placements which was continuing to rise. It was reported that this was a concern and in part was something that was very difficult to manage and control.  It was advised that there were measures in place to reduce the financial burden by creating more appropriate residential support within the borough. In terms of cost, it was clarified that some of the challenges around keeping children within the City were related to the recruitment and retention of staff which was significantly cheaper than out of authority placements and was a national issue.

 

A query was made regarding homeless placement claims and whether there were concerns around the level of claims coming forward, why claims were taking longer to be processed and what improvements had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

10.

St. Leger Homes of Doncaster Limited (SLHD) Performance and Delivery Update Quarter 4 and Year Ended 31 March 2023 (2022/23) pdf icon PDF 492 KB

Minutes:

The Committee received the Quarter 4 Performance and Delivery Update 2022/23. 

 

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

 

Staff Sickness - It was recently noted at a Southwest Area Councillor forum that it was a concern to St Leger that the number of staff missing work for stress/mental health issues was considerable.  Members queried whether this was a contributing reason for certain work not being completed. In terms of issues around installing ramps, it was advised that this was not a St Leger function.

 

It was explained that this performance was thereabouts in-line with that of the Councils, although had worsened since before the pandemic.  It was highlighted that SLHD was averaging 11.5 days a year (days lost through sickness per FTE) which was considered as too high. It was clarified that a third of that number was related to stress/depression and mental health-based issues which had both grown considerably throughout the public sector during the last two years.  It was acknowledged that such a high average number of days absent would likely have an impact on performance.  It was advised that this could be mitigated by using additional measures such as contractors carrying out repairs where possible.

 

Regarding KPI2 Void Rent Loss, it was advised that the target days for turning around properties was ambitious.  Members were advised that SLHD was currently in Quartile 1 (top 25%) for performance. Other issues that impacted this indicator included difficulty in recruiting and the retention of staff, for example, electricians. This in turn had an impact on the ability to turn around properties. It was stressed that SLHD continued to make small incremental improvements. 

 

In view of KPI4, the number of residents undertaking training or education, it was explained that SLHD had seen a difference in performance from last year and had taken the decision 18 months ago to offer training to residents in addition to SLHD tenants. SLHD was looking at considering the training they were delivering and what could be done to change and develop it.

 

In response to a question raised regarding KPI18 Tenant Satisfaction with property condition %, and the decline in the % from 86.5% to 75.7%. Members were advised that St Leger had a number of tenant satisfaction measures in place, which had been monitored for years and had dropped last year (as part of a national trend) although now sat slightly above the national average. During the pandemic, people had spent further time in their properties which had resulted in more repairs coming forward resulting in a backlog which had now settled.

 

It was reported that resources had not been boosted to cover this increased demand for repairs. It was acknowledged that some frustrations arose from not knowing when repairs were going to be carried out. It was explained that work was being done to mitigate certain issues through a one repairs service, where repairs were triaged.

 

It was highlighted that one of the biggest decreases in satisfaction was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

11.

Overview and Scrutiny Work Plan 2023/24 and Appointment of Union Representative to Regeneration and Housing Scrutiny Panel pdf icon PDF 211 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee received the Overview and Scrutiny Work Plan 23/24 (latest version circulated by email).  Members were asked to appoint a union representative to the Regeneration and Housing Scrutiny Panel.

 

In terms of Appendix C of the report which outlined the Terms of Reference for the Joint Health Scrutiny Committee, it was advised that once the dates for those meetings had been finalised, Members would be informed accordingly.

 

            RESOLVED that:-

 

(1)      The 2023/24 Overview and Scrutiny work programme be approved;

 

(2)        The Council’s Forward Plan of key decisions be noted;

 

(3)       The terms of reference and the appointment to the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire) Appendix C be noted; and

 

(4)       Mark Whitehouse of UNITE be appointed to the Regeneration and Housing Scrutiny Panel.