The Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee of Doncaster Council met on Thursday 18 June 2026 to discuss a range of reports concerning the council's financial performance, housing services, and operational plans. The meeting was scheduled to review the 2025-26 Quarter 4 Finance and Performance Improvement Report, an update on St. Leger Homes of Doncaster Limited's Key Performance Indicators and Tenant Satisfaction Measures, and the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report for 2025/2026. Additionally, the committee was set to consider the Overview and Scrutiny Work Plan for 2026/27.

2025-26 Quarter 4 Finance and Performance Improvement Report

The committee was scheduled to review the 2025-26 Quarter 4 Finance and Performance Improvement Report¹. This report was intended to provide an outlook on the council's financial performance and delivery against its Corporate Plan and Budget for the 2025-26 financial year. The report highlighted an uncertain economic outlook, with international factors impacting the UK economy and potential increases in inflation. Locally, Doncaster's economy was reported to be tracking close to benchmarks, with employment rates above regional averages.

The report indicated a projected year-end balanced outturn, with a net overspend of £1.2 million, to be funded by releasing earmarked reserves. This position showed an improvement of £4.0 million since Quarter 3, attributed to efforts in maximising grant funding, unexpected one-off income, and effective vacancy management. However, ongoing overspends were noted in Adult Social Care (£7.5 million), Culture & Commercialisation (£0.9 million), and Children, Young People & Families (£0.8 million), with a particular focus on Children's Social Care (£1.1 million). The Place directorate was projected to underspend by £0.9 million.

Significant financial risks were identified, including the increasing costs of Adult Social Care, the High Needs Block within Children's Services, and income-dependent services within the Place directorate. The report also detailed the financial position of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), which projected an underspend of £0.57 million against the revised budget.

The committee was also to consider the capital programme outturn for 2025/26, which showed an overall spend of £158.2 million across 498 schemes. Significant slippage was noted in several schemes, including the Bentley Hub, Rossington Hub, and High Rise Works at Balby. The report also provided an update on the Collection Fund for Council Tax and Business Rates, indicating a deficit for both.

St. Leger Homes of Doncaster Limited (SLHD) Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) Update for Quarter 4 / Year Ended 31 March 2026 (25/26)

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the performance of St. Leger Homes of Doncaster Limited (SLHD) for the fourth quarter and the full financial year 2025/26. The report indicated a strong overall performance, with 22 out of 31 in-scope KPIs meeting or being within tolerance of their targets.

Key areas of strong performance highlighted included:

• Building safety compliance: Remaining at 100% across gas, fire, asbestos, legionella, and lifts.
• Use of hotel accommodation: Reduced to the 21-night target for the first time, with both the number of households and associated costs trending downwards.
• Void relet times: Improved to meet the 25-day target for standard properties, indicating positive impact from the Voids Excellence work.

However, the report also flagged significant concerns requiring close scrutiny:

• Non-decent homes: Remained above target at 10.8%, with over 2,100 properties requiring investment. Current capital levels were deemed insufficient to achieve the required reduction.
• Repairs timeliness: Particularly for non-emergency repairs, performance was well below target at approximately 68% against an 85% target. Increased emergency heating repairs added further pressure.
• Complaint volumes: Continued to rise, with 68 complaints per 1,000 properties against a target of 37. While response times were noted as excellent, the volume indicated persistent demand failures in core services.
• Void rent loss: Remained above target.
• Electrical Safety (EICR) compliance: While close, was still not at 100%.

The report detailed performance against specific KPIs, including current rent arrears, void rent loss, average days to re-let standard properties, average nights in hotel accommodation, percentage of settled accommodation at prevention stage, complaints volumes, tenancy turnover, repairs completion times, gas and fire safety compliance, electrical safety, sickness absence, percentage of local revenue expenditure, ASB cases, and tenant satisfaction with overall and repair services.

Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2025/2026

The committee was scheduled to consider the draft Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report for 2025/2026. This report was intended to summarise the activities undertaken by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee (OSMC) and its four Standing Panels during the period 1 May 2025 to 30 April 2026. It also aimed to identify priorities for Overview and Scrutiny in 2026/27. The report highlighted the function's role in monitoring service delivery, reviewing policy, considering public concerns, and providing a critical challenge to the Executive. It detailed the work of the OSMC and the Health and Adult Social Care, Children and Young People, Regeneration and Housing, and Communities and Environment Panels, noting their contributions to the Council's Corporate Plan and the Great 8 priorities. The report also emphasised the importance of public and partner engagement in the scrutiny process.

Overview and Scrutiny Work Plan 2026/27

The committee was asked to approve the draft Overview and Scrutiny Work Plan for 2026/27. This plan outlines the proposed topics for scrutiny by the OSMC and its standing Panels throughout the upcoming year. The work plan is designed to be regularly reviewed and updated to reflect changing priorities and emerging issues. The committee was also asked to consider the Council's Forward Plan of Key Decisions for the period July to October 2026 and to note the Terms of Reference for the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee for South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. The work plan aims to ensure that scrutiny activities are focused, evidence-based, and contribute to the effective delivery of services and achievement of the Council's objectives.