The Corporate and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel was scheduled to discuss the council's budget for the upcoming financial year and review the performance of its complaints and compliments procedures. The panel was also set to consider its work programme for the coming year.

Budget Scrutiny 2026/27

The panel was scheduled to scrutinise the draft budget for 2026/27, focusing on services related to corporate functions and communities. This discussion was informed by previous financial monitoring throughout the year and a budget briefing held in December 2025. The report pack highlighted the challenging financial context, including the impact of the Provisional Local Government Settlement received in December 2025, which was £7 million less than anticipated. The council was facing significant budget pressures, with a projected gap of £71.937 million for 2026/27. The report indicated that the council had applied for Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) of up to £71.9 million and permission to increase Council Tax by 5% above the referendum limit, which would generate an additional £18 million annually.

Key areas for the panel's focus were suggested to be:

• The impact of Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) and the Council Tax proposal.
• Any further savings opportunities that the panel wished the Cabinet to consider for 2026/27 or future years.
• Any other issues the panel wished the Cabinet to consider in relation to the 2026/27 budget or the Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP).

The report also detailed the draft budget for 2026/27 for Central Services, Corporate Services, and Community Services, outlining proposed changes due to inflation, growth, and savings. For Central Services, a projected underspend of £0.9 million was noted, with underspends in Property Services and Finance, Commercial & Performance primarily due to vacant posts. Corporate Services showed a forecast underspend of £13.7 million, largely attributed to increased income on investments and delayed borrowing requirements. In Community Services, a projected underspend of £0.921 million was reported, with savings in Libraries Strategic due to a reduction in rates and additional income generation.

The report also highlighted the significant deficit in the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) for High Needs, which was projected to reach £194.1 million by the end of March 2026, rising to £321.7 million by March 2027. A statutory recommendation was made for the council to urgently address this increasing deficit and develop a management plan.

Performance of Comments, Compliments and Complaints

The panel was scheduled to receive an update on the performance of the council's representation procedures for Children's Social Care, Adult Social Care, and Corporate Services for the period of 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. This report also covered the council's engagement with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO).

The LGSCO Annual Review Letter for 2024/25 indicated that 85% of complaints about the council investigated by the Ombudsman were upheld, compared to an average of 89% for similar organisations. Compliance with the Ombudsman's recommendations remained at 100%. However, concerns were raised about delays in complying with agreed recommendations, with seven out of 25 cases completed outside of agreed timescales. The council had implemented a new Representation Management System to improve the notification and escalation of LGSCO complaints and was holding quarterly meetings with the LGSCO.

The report provided detailed statistics on the number and nature of complaints received across the three service areas. For Children's Social Care, there was a decrease in unique complainants but an increase in total complaints received. Stage 1 complaint resolutions within timescales saw a decrease to 86.7%, attributed partly to the restructuring of services. Stage 2 complaint resolutions within timescales also declined significantly to 56.41%, with a longer allowance for Adjudicating Officer responses.

For Adult Social Care, there was an increase in total complaints received, with a significant number relating to Mental Health and Provider Services. Low-risk complaints were largely resolved within 35 days, while moderate/high-risk complaints showed a higher percentage resolved over 65 days.

Corporate complaints saw a substantial increase in total complaints received and complaint points. Stage 1 complaint resolutions within timescales improved to 88.86%, while Stage 2 resolutions fell to 64.15%. The report noted that the council was preparing to harmonise with the LGSCO complaint handling code, which would lead to more investigations at Stage 2.

The report also included examples of compliments received across various service areas, highlighting positive feedback for social workers, the Highways team, and the Blue Badge application process. Learning from upheld complaints was also detailed, with action plans developed to address issues in communication, service delivery, and policy.

Work Programme

The panel was scheduled to review its work programme for 2025/26. This involved considering which issues should be investigated as a priority, with the panel responsible for scrutiny of commissioning, contracts, commerce, transformation, finance, localism, communities, organisation, and employees. The current work programme included items such as Budget Scrutiny, Performance of Comments, Compliments and Complaints, and a refresh of the work programme itself. Potential future items for scrutiny were also listed, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), the review of the Members' Case Management System, Worcestershire's Volunteers, communication policies for social media, and the revised Workforce Strategy.