The Corporate and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel met to discuss the annual update on libraries, the performance and budget monitoring for Quarter 2 of 2025/26, and the panel's work programme. The panel reviewed library performance, including the Libraries Unlocked program, and noted the financial position of the council, including forecasts for reserves and high needs funding. The panel also agreed to retain the flexibility to take into account any urgent issues which may arise in their work programme.

Performance and Budget Monitoring

The panel reviewed performance and financial information for corporate services and communities, as detailed in the Performance and Budget Monitoring Report. Key points included:

• Registration Services: Birth and death registration appointments were readily available within target timeframes. The percentage of deaths registered within five days has risen markedly.
• Staff Engagement: The 2024 Your Voice staff survey had a 40.1% response rate. Chief Officer Group (COG) and Senior Leadership Team (SLT) have identified four priority strategic areas to guide the development of an organisational action plan and inform future directorate action plans.
• Workforce: The Full Time Equivalent (FTE) figure decreased by 3.2% compared to the previous quarter.
• Sickness Rates: Sickness rates are above target, with an cumulative figure of 4.1 days. A review of the attendance policy is underway.
• Staff Turnover: The staff turnover rate is deteriorating relative to the same period last year and to the target of 14%.
• Agency Staff: The cost of agency staff as a percentage of the total pay bill remains within the target level.
• Library Usage: Library visits are slightly down compared to the same period last year, but issues are up.
• Museum Visits: Museum visits are slightly down compared to the same period last year.
• Countryside Standards: Countryside Site Standards achieved a green rating, improving compared with the previous quarter.
• Bikeability: Level 2 Bikeability training is down compared to the same period last year, but other levels are up.

The panel also reviewed the Quarter 2 Forecast Financial Position 2025/26, noting that the council is forecasting a breakeven position after using £11.3 million of reserves and £33.6 million of Exceptional Financial Support. The forecast includes overspends in Adult Social Care and Children's Social Care, mitigated by underspends in other services. Of the £12.5 million in savings, 88% are rated green, meaning they are delivered or expected to be delivered.

The council's forecast reserves show a decrease from £93.7 million to a year-end forecast of £72.5 million, with only £19.6 million considered unearmarked and usable as risk reserves. A transfer of £6.5 million of uncommitted reserves to the risk reserve was requested.

The council is forecasting a High Needs overspend of £95.3 million in 2025/26, with a forecast deficit of £193.7 million by March 2026. A statutory override is allowing the deficit to be extended until March 2028.

The current value of the Capital Programme is reported as £495.8 million, with £159 million planned for 2025/26.

Libraries Annual Update

The panel received an annual update on libraries, including the Libraries Unlocked programme and a refresh of the libraries strategy.

Key statistics from the Libraries Annual Update November 2025 report included:

• New library members: 18,754
• Active library users: 117,124
• Active borrowers: 43,431
• Active digital borrowers: 11,848
• Computer users: 19,348
• Visits: 1,795,676
• Issues – books & digital: 2,120,433
• Number of events: 9,833
• Event attendances: 162,212

The report noted that data for 2024/25 showed strong recovery in library issues, new library memberships, digital borrowers and digital borrowing, all of which exceed pre-pandemic levels. However, library visits have plateaued at around 70% of pre-pandemic levels.

The Library Service is using a Social Value Engine tool to evidence the social return on investment of library services. It calculated a monetary value of £9.70 for every £1 invested in Connect Groups¹, based on social outcomes.

The Learning Outside the Classroom offer has seen developments, including a 'Power of Libraries' conference for teaching professionals. A Library Ambassador role is being rolled out across the library network, and a library auto-enrolment pilot is underway at St Ann's Primary School in Bewdley.

A new 'Memories and Me' service, aimed at the families and carers of people living with dementia, has been developed in partnership with University of Worcester. A new library community outreach offer is under development, which will be delivered from an electric mobile library and outreach vehicle.

The Libraries Unlocked programme has increased opening hours at nine libraries by 59% while reducing staffed opening hours by 32%. Seven new Libraries Unlocked locations went live between February and August 2024. A communications campaign promoting the benefits of Libraries Unlocked to a younger audience will run in Winter 2025. A third Libraries Unlocked implementation phase was approved in March 2025, for all remaining Worcestershire libraries except those where return on investment (ROI) is over 5 years.

With the current Library Strategy due to end in December 2025, a new library needs assessment is in progress, alongside a review of performance against the current Library Strategy 2020 – 2025.

Work Programme

The panel reviewed its work programme, as detailed in the Corporate and Communities OS Panel Work Programme, and agreed to retain the flexibility to take into account any urgent issues which may arise. Dates for future meetings in 2026 were confirmed as 12 January and 23 March.