The Overview and Scrutiny Performance Board of Worcestershire Council was scheduled to meet on Monday, 26 January 2026, to discuss the council's budget for the upcoming financial year and to review the board's work programme and the Cabinet's forward plan. The meeting was intended to gather feedback from various scrutiny panels on the draft budget and to consider updates from scrutiny chairmen.

Budget Scrutiny 2026-27

The board was scheduled to consider feedback from the Overview and Scrutiny Panels regarding the draft budget for 2026-27. This process involved the Scrutiny Panels reviewing the draft budget and the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) throughout January 2026, following initial presentations and discussions at earlier council meetings. The purpose of this discussion was to allow the board to agree on comments to be presented to the Cabinet on 5 February 2026. The report pack indicated that the Scrutiny Panels had been monitoring performance and financial information throughout the year to identify trends, budget pressures, and challenges. The board was asked to determine any comments to highlight to the Leader of the Council, Chief Executive, and Chief Financial Officer, and whether any further scrutiny was required on specific topics.

Scrutiny Chairmen and Lead Member Update, Work Programme and Cabinet Forward Plan

This agenda item was designed to ensure that members of the Overview and Scrutiny Performance Board (OSPB) were kept informed about scrutiny activities across Worcestershire. Members were invited to provide feedback on recent Scrutiny meetings, performance and budget monitoring, and any emerging issues within their respective remits. The board was also scheduled to review its own work programme for 2025/26, which had been agreed by the Council on 6 November 2025. The OSPB's responsibilities include commissioning work for Scrutiny Panels, establishing Scrutiny Task Groups, advising on the Council's Policy Framework, and handling call-ins of executive decisions. A set of criteria was to be used to help prioritise scrutiny investigations, focusing on council priorities, public interest, practicality, and potential for improvement. Finally, the board was to consider the Council's Cabinet Forward Plan, which outlines upcoming key decisions, and to determine if any issues should be added to the Scrutiny Work Programmes.

The Cabinet Forward Plan, as available at the time of the agenda dispatch, included several key decisions scheduled for January and February 2026, such as the finalisation of the Draft Budget and Medium-Term Financial Plan 2026/27, Fair Funding for Schools 2026/27, and the Worcestershire Local Nature Recovery Strategy.