The Resources and Fire & Rescue Overview and Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to review the council's performance, financial management, and treasury activities for the third quarter of the 2025/26 financial year. Key discussions were also planned regarding the council's people strategy and the options appraisal for a specific office building.

Our People Strategy Annual Review 2026/27

The committee was scheduled to consider and comment on the proposed delivery priorities for the Our People Strategy for the 2026/2027 period. This included a review of activities undertaken in 2025/2026. The strategy, due for renewal, aims to make Warwickshire a great place to work where diverse and talented people are enabled to be their best. The proposed priorities for 2026/2027 focus on six key themes: strategic workforce planning, the employee offer, talent acquisition and development, leadership, creating a great culture, and performance. The report highlighted achievements in 2025/2026, such as embedding the Workforce Services structure, updating workforce dashboards, launching a managers' guide, and refreshing leadership development. Priorities for the upcoming year include collaborating on the people workstream for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), enhancing the employee benefits offer, embedding a creative approach to resourcing, developing a corporate skills framework, and integrating the managers' hub into daily practices. The report also detailed plans to improve attendance levels, empower staff networks, and review the performance management approach.

Quarter 3 Integrated Performance Report 2025/26

This report provided a retrospective summary of the council's organisational performance at the end of Quarter 3 (April – December 2025) against the strategic priorities outlined in the Council Plan 2022-2027. For the Council Delivery Plan, 76% of activity was reported as delivering to plan, with 5% underachieving. Within the committee's remit, 21 Council Delivery Plan deliverables were noted, with 76% delivering to plan. For the Performance Management Framework, 18 Key Business Measures (KBMs) were within the committee's remit, with 9 measures delivering this quarter. Areas highlighted as strong included sustained improvement in Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service's average response times. However, challenging areas included staff sickness levels and the delivery of Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) savings. The services reporting to this committee were forecasting a net service underspend of -£3 million. The report also detailed the Value for Money (VFM) programme, which aims to strengthen financial resilience and drive efficiencies across the organisation through seven workstreams.

Treasury Management Update Report Q3 2025/26

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the council's treasury management position for Quarter 3 of the 2025/26 financial year. The report indicated a decrease in total treasury investments, primarily due to the decision to fund capital expenditure from internal resources, early repayment of Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) debt, and the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) overspend. The council's net investment position had moved to a net borrowing position, reflecting reduced investment balances and increased internal borrowing. The report noted that interest income on treasury investments was significantly higher than budgeted, providing support for in-year pressures but expected to decline in future years. The High Needs Stability Grant, announced by the government, was expected to impact the 2026/27 treasury management strategy by increasing cash balances and reducing the need for external borrowing. The report also detailed compliance with treasury management indicators, including the liability benchmark, maturity structure of borrowing, and long-term treasury management investments.

Options Appraisal of Barrack Street Office Building and Car Park

The committee was scheduled to consider an options appraisal for the Barrack Street office building and car park. This item was marked as To Follow, indicating that further information would be provided.

Work Programme

The committee was scheduled to review its work programme. The provided document outlines upcoming reports, including updates on WFRS Resourcing to Risk, the Warwickshire Property Development Group, an operational benchmarking performance report for Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service, and an annual feedback report.