Here is a summary of the scheduled discussions for the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Management Board meeting. It is important to note that this summary is based on the agenda and associated reports, and therefore does not reflect actual discussions, decisions, or outcomes of the meeting.

The Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Management Board (COSMB) meeting included discussion of the annual overview and scrutiny report, the council's use of investigatory powers, and the progress of the Corporate Peer Challenge. Also on the agenda were performance management, petitions, and key decisions scheduled to be made by the executive.

Here's a more detailed look at the topics:

Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report

The board was scheduled to review and approve the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2024/25 before it is submitted to the full council in July. The report provides an overview of the activities of COSMB and its five thematic overview and scrutiny committees, including in-depth and light-touch reviews, performance monitoring, and budget reviews. The report also covers the statutory scrutiny roles related to health, crime and disorder.

The annual report includes a summary from Councillor Rob Crute, Chair of Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Management Board, thanking those involved in the overview and scrutiny process.

The report also highlights several strategies and policies that have been developed and consulted upon, with input from the Overview and Scrutiny Committees, including:

• The Inclusive Economic Strategy Delivery Plan
• Workforce Strategy 2024-2027
• County Durham's Tourism and the Visitor Economy
• The County Durham Housing Strategy
• The New Place Brand for County Durham
• Supported Housing Regulation
• Social Housing Allocations Policy
• Durham Local Area SEND Inspection Action Plan
• Early Help
• Sexual Health Strategy
• Local Nature Recovery Strategy
• Ecological Emergency Delivery Plan
• Safe Durham Partnership Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy
• County Durham Fire and Rescue Service Community Risk Management Plan
• Quality Accounts for County Durham and Darlington NHS FT; Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS FT and North East Ambulance Service NHSFT
• North East and North Cumbria ICB Joint Forward Plan 2023/24 to 2028/29
• Local Authority Assessment of Adult Social Care by the Care Quality Commission
• Oral Health Promotion Strategy 2023

Corporate Peer Challenge

The board was scheduled to receive an update on the council's preparations for the Local Government Association's (LGA) Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC), scheduled for the week commencing 6 October 2025. The CPC is an external peer review, and it is considered best practice for all councils to undertake one every five years. The council is also undertaking a self-evaluation utilising recently launched Best Value standards.

The strengthened CPC framework focuses on five core areas:

• local priorities and outcomes
• organisational and place leadership
• governance and culture
• financial planning and management
• capacity for improvement

The council has specified a sixth area for the peer team to consider:

How we can accelerate our transformation journey using ICT, digital tools, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies.

The report pack also included a diagram illustrating the governance structure for the Corporate Peer Challenge.

Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA)

The board was scheduled to receive a quarterly report on the council's use of powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) for Quarter 4 of 2024/2025. RIPA allows local authorities to carry out certain types of surveillance activity, provided that specified procedures are followed.

During Quarter 4, there were five directed surveillance applications and one Covert Human Intelligence Source (CHIS) application presented to the Court. All six applications related to the sale of illicit tobacco products.

One CHIS authorisation was used in conjunction with one of the directed surveillance authorisations. The CHIS was deployed to make a series of test purchases from the residents of a residential premises, and when a relationship had been established, a large order for illicit tobacco was placed. Directed surveillance was then used to conduct visually recorded test purchases and observe the premises. Illicit tobacco products were recovered, and the resident issued a formal warning.

The second directed surveillance authorisation was used to conduct visually recorded test purchases at a retail premises. Officers followed individuals involved in the criminality from the retail premises to local parked and unattended vehicles, which were being used to store illicit tobacco. Illicit tobacco was recovered from the premises and the two vehicles, and the premises has now been closed.

The third directed surveillance authorisation allowed officers to observe activities of an individual, identify a vehicle, and identify the drop point used to store illicit tobacco. The investigation concluded with the recovery of illicit tobacco from the drop off point and inspections at the retail premises and the vehicle recovering further illicit tobacco. The premises is now closed and will not be leased again as a convenience store.

The fourth directed surveillance was used to observe a resident's premises. Following these observations, officers were able to identify customers attending the front door of the address and then leaving with cigarettes, which allowed them to apply for a warrant of entry. Both illicit tobacco and non-compliant vapes were recovered, and the resident has been issued a formal warning.

The fifth operation is still ongoing, and an outcome of the authorisation will be reported to the Committee at a later date.

Performance Management Report

The board was scheduled to discuss the Quarter Three, 2024/25 Performance Management Report. The report informs members, senior managers, employees, and the public of the council's progress towards achieving the strategic ambitions and objectives set out in the Council Plan 2024-28.

The report is structured around five thematic areas: Our Economy, Our Environment, Our People, Our Communities, and Our Council.

Some key highlights from the report include:

• Our Economy: The county's economy has largely recovered from Covid-19. Between 2020 and 2022, the county's economy grew by more than 16% to £10.7 billion, and around 8,000 more residents are in employment now than before the Inclusive Economic Strategy (IES) was adopted in 2022.
• Our Environment: 27 of the 28 sites within the Durham City Air Quality Management Area are better than the NO2 level threshold.
• Our People: Demand for statutory children's social care increased substantially in quarter three, but despite increased workloads, performance has continued at previous levels, and the re-referral rate remains consistent.
• Our Communities: Fly-tipping levels remain low, and environmental cleanliness remains high.
• Our Council: Sixty percent of the council's employees recorded no sickness over the last 12 months.

Petitions

The board was scheduled to receive a quarterly update on the status of petitions and e-petitions received by the authority. Since the last update, one new e-petition had been submitted; however, as it did not reach the required number of signatures, it was not valid.

The schedule provided a list of those petitions that were active, and those that were to be closed and which would be removed from the list prior to the next update.

Notice of Key Decisions

The board was scheduled to consider the list of key decisions that are scheduled to be considered by the Executive up to October 2025.