The Overview and Scrutiny Management Board of Lincolnshire County Council met on Thursday, 27 August 2026, to review the Council's performance in the first quarter of the 2026-27 financial year. Key discussions focused on performance against the Council Plan, financial performance, and workforce metrics.

Council Plan Performance Framework 2026-27 Quarter 1

The Board reviewed the Council Plan Performance Framework for the first quarter of 2026-27. Overall performance was positive, with 32 out of 35 activities rated as 'Green' and 24 out of 29 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) either exceeding or achieving their targets.

Family:

• PI 7 (Waiting list for assessments): This indicator did not meet its target, with 176 people per 100,000 on waiting lists, exceeding the target of 105. However, the service is prioritising based on risk and urgency, and staffing levels have been strengthened to address demand, with improvements expected by the end of Quarter 2.
• PI 15 (Children in care in a family environment): This indicator also fell short of its target, with 77.79% of children in care living in a family environment, below the 82% target. This is attributed to an increasing number of older adolescents in care requiring residential settings and young people choosing supported accommodation at 16-17 years old.

Community:

• PI 46 & 47 (Fire & Rescue response times): Response times for dwelling fires (10 minutes 1 second) and all other incidents (12 minutes 30 seconds) remain better than their respective targets of 11 and 15 minutes, although performance has worsened compared to previous years. Mixed crewing arrangements and seasonal factors are expected to impact response times in the coming quarters.
• PI 94 (Section 19 flood investigations): The Council exceeded its target, completing 100% of investigations within six months, aided by favourable weather conditions.

County:

• PI 37 (Recycling Rate): The recycling rate was 47.49%, below the 55% target. This was influenced by the introduction of food waste collections in four districts, which had a positive impact, but also by a decrease in green waste tonnage due to milder weather and an increase in non-recyclable waste.
• PI 38 (Recycling at Household Waste Recycling Centres): This was also below target at 69.49% compared to 75%.
• PI 82 (Businesses receiving support): The number of businesses receiving support exceeded the quarterly target, with 909 businesses supported against a target of 667, demonstrating strong engagement with business support services.

Spending Wisely:

• PI 44 (Days lost to sickness absence): Sickness absence rose to 8.30 days per FTE, below the new target of 8.8 days but showing a steady increase. Adult Care and Community Wellbeing, and Children's Services had the highest absence rates. Mental health, musculoskeletal issues, and other reasons were cited as the main causes.
• PI 58 (Voluntary turnover): Voluntary turnover decreased to 7.81%, below the 12% target, which is seen as positive in the current local government financial climate.
• PI 64 (Customer Service Centre satisfaction): Customer satisfaction remained high at 94.58%, exceeding the 90% target, despite a transition to a new CRM system.

Review of Financial Performance 2026/27 Quarter 1

The Board reviewed the Council's financial performance for the first quarter of 2026/27. The General Fund is forecasting a small underspend of £0.1m, but schools' budgets are forecasting a significant overspend of £51.8m, primarily within the High Needs Block for SEND provision.

Key Financial Points:

• Children's Services: A significant overspend of £9.012m is forecast, largely driven by increased demand and complexity in independent placements for children in care, costing approximately £11.7m more than budgeted. Despite transformation efforts, this growth has outpaced savings.
• Place Directorate: A forecast overspend of £3.769m is noted, primarily due to Home to School Transport pressures (£3.684m) caused by increased demand, SEND complexity, and inflationary transport costs.
• Contingency: Of the £6m core contingency, £5.348m is forecast to be committed to specific pressures, including high-cost secure placements in Children's Social Care and SEND workforce stabilisation.
• Schools Budgets: The High Needs Block is forecasting a £51.958m overspend, contributing to a projected increase in the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficit to £54.3m by March 2027. Government funding is expected to cover 90% of historic deficits.
• Capital Programme: The capital programme is forecasting an underspend of £45.418m for 2026/27, largely due to the rephasing of major projects like the Grantham Southern Relief Road and North Hykeham Relief Road.

2026-27 Quarter 1 Workforce Metrics

The Board received an update on workforce metrics, noting stable staff turnover at 7.81%, which is below the national average. Sickness absence has seen a gradual increase to 8.30 days per FTE but remains below the national average. Agency spend has increased to £2.33m, with Children's Services and Resources showing the highest spend, attributed to recruitment challenges and demand in specialist roles.

Key Workforce Points:

• Turnover: Remains stable and below national benchmarks.
• Sickness Absence: A gradual increase is noted, with Adult Care and Community Wellbeing and Children's Services showing the highest rates. Mental health, musculoskeletal issues, and other reasons are the predominant causes.
• Agency Spend: Increased by 26% (£481k) in the quarter, with Children's Services (£1.21m) and Resources (£720k) having the highest spend. This is linked to difficulties in recruiting specialist staff, particularly in educational psychology, social work, legal, and finance roles.

The Board also reviewed the work programmes of various scrutiny committees and noted updates on the Councillor Community Grant Fund.