The Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Management Board is scheduled to meet on Friday 23 January 2026 to review the council's financial outturn for the second quarter of the 2025/26 financial year, examine performance management reports, and consider upcoming key decisions. The meeting will also discuss the provisional local government settlement for the Medium Term Financial Plan.

Revenue and Capital Outturn Reports

The Board will receive reports detailing the forecast revenue and capital outturn for the Chief Executive's Office and the Resources service grouping for the 2025/26 financial year, based on positions at the end of September 2025.

The report for the Chief Executive's Office (CEO) indicates a projected underspend of £47,000 against a revised budget of £22.082 million. This underspend is attributed to managed vacancies within Corporate Affairs, staff vacancies and turnover, and the online publication of Durham County News editions. These savings are partially offset by an underachieved income budget target in the Design Services team. The CEO capital budget is forecast at £0.492 million, with £0.262 million spent by the end of September.

For the Resources service grouping, the forecast outturn shows an underspend of £2.508 million against a revised budget of £70.911 million. This underspend is largely due to managed vacancies within various departments, including Corporate Property and Land, Transactional and Customer Services, and Digital Services, in anticipation of savings required by the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) 2026/27. The Resources capital budget is £32.084 million, with £10.287 million spent by the end of September.

Performance Management Report

A comprehensive performance management report for the second quarter of 2025/26 will be presented, outlining progress towards the strategic ambitions set out in the Council Plan 2025-30. The report highlights strong performance across five key strategic ambitions: Reforming the Council, Supercharging Our Economy, Building Better Communities, Caring For Our People, and A Practical Environmental Stewardship.

Areas noted as going well include a reduction in complaints, high employee attendance rates, a significant number of employees enrolled on apprenticeships, and a high proportion of telephone calls answered within three minutes. Economically, the council has supported numerous businesses, secured inward investments, and created or safeguarded jobs. Community initiatives have seen success in environmental cleanliness, broadband access, and cultural event attendance. In terms of caring for people, processing times for housing benefit and council tax reduction requests remain efficient, and progress has been made in supporting households threatened with homelessness. Environmentally, the council is diverting a high percentage of municipal waste from landfill.

However, the report also identifies areas requiring attention. These include an increase in sick days per employee, planning applications not being completed within deadlines, and rising average vacancy rates in town centres. A significant concern is the increase in the number of children in care, leading to higher costs for placements and a forecast overspend of £5 million against the Children in Care placements budget. Increased demand for homeless assessments, particularly from families with complex needs, has also led to rising costs.

Medium Term Financial Plan and Local Government Settlement

The Board will also consider the provisional local government settlement for the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) 2026/27 to 2029/30. This report, from the Corporate Director of Resources, Paul Darby, will provide details on the updated forecast revenue and capital outturn budget positions for the council.

Notice of Key Decisions

Finally, the Board will review a report on upcoming key decisions, providing advance notice of significant decisions to be made by the council's Cabinet or officers. This allows for public awareness and potential scrutiny of important policy and financial matters.