The Scrutiny Commission met on Wednesday 10 June 2026 to discuss the provisional revenue and capital outturn for the 2025/26 financial year, review the Traded Services Strategy, and receive an update on the Customer Experience Strategy. The meeting also included an annual update on the Traded Services Strategy, School Food Service, and Beaumanor Hall engagement.

Provisional Revenue and Capital Outturn 2025/26

The Commission was scheduled to consider a report from the Director of Corporate Resources detailing the provisional revenue and capital outturn for the 2025/26 financial year. The report outlined an overall net revenue underspend of £7.023 million, which was to be used to meet additional commitments. A significant portion of this underspend was attributed to various departmental variances, including pressures within Children and Family Services, particularly concerning the High Needs Block deficit within the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), which had accumulated to £99.1 million. The report also detailed a net variance of £65.151 million in the capital outturn, primarily due to the rephasing of expenditure into the 2026/27 financial year. The report highlighted that the Council's Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) for 2026-30 remained challenging, with a projected gap of £84 million by 2029/30.

Annual Update on the Traded Services Strategy, School Food Service and Beaumanor Hall Engagement

This report provided an update on the performance of Leicestershire Traded Services (LTS) during 2025/26 and progress towards exiting the School Food service. Overall, LTS reported a budget overspend of £638,000. The School Food service, however, showed a profit of £101,000, representing a significant improvement on previous years, though an underperformance against the budgeted profit. The report detailed the process of exiting the School Food service, including support for schools in finding new catering providers and the management of staff transitions.

Furthermore, the report presented findings from an engagement process regarding the future of Beaumanor Hall. This engagement included a public questionnaire, a public engagement event, business engagement, school engagement, and staff engagement. The feedback highlighted various suggestions for generating income and attracting visitors, including accommodation and hospitality, heritage and history, events and entertainment, and educational opportunities. Businesses identified strengths such as the location, setting, and heritage of Beaumanor Hall, while also noting barriers such as the building's infrastructure, marketing, and perceived 'Council run' negative connotations. Research into the local wedding and outdoor education markets was also presented, identifying potential opportunities for Beaumanor Hall.

Leicestershire County Council's Customer Experience Strategy - Update on Delivery Progress

The Commission was scheduled to receive an update on the progress of delivering the Customer Experience Strategy 2024–28. The strategy aims to transform council services to be customer-centred, digitally enabled, and consistently delivered, with a focus on improving accessibility, efficiency, and user experience. The report highlighted that total contact volumes across the council had increased by 8% between 2024 and 2025, with a shift towards email and away from phone contact. Telephony performance remained below the corporate target of 80% of calls handled. The report detailed improvements within the Customer Service Centre, including a 19% reduction in total calls and a significant decrease in queue times, leading to substantial savings and cost avoidance. Progress in the Children and Families Department was also outlined, with improvements in the Special Educational Needs Assessment (SENA) team's performance, including a higher call answer rate and faster online contact resolution. The report also looked forward to the implementation of an AI chatbot to improve information access for residents and explored other AI opportunities within education.

Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2025/26

The Commission was presented with the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report for 2025/26. This report summarised the work undertaken by the Scrutiny Commission and its committees throughout the year, highlighting the role of scrutiny in supporting transparent, accountable, and effective decision-making. The report detailed the volume of scrutiny activity, including committee meetings, reports considered, public questions, and webcast views. It also provided an overview of the specific scrutiny activities undertaken by the Scrutiny Commission, including its work on the Call-in of a Cabinet decision regarding the Protocol for Flying Flags at County Hall, Local Government Reorganisation, Efficiency Review Outcomes, the Budget and financial monitoring, Property management, estates, and investments, Performance, assurance, and customer experience, and Governance and standards. The report also included summaries of the work undertaken by the Adults and Communities, Children and Families, Highways, Transport and Waste, Environment, Flooding and Climate Change, and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committees.