The Corporate Scrutiny Committee is scheduled to meet on Thursday 18 June 2026 to review the Council's performance and policies. Key discussions are expected to include the Council Delivery Plan performance report for the final quarter of 2025/26, an update on the Corporate Business Continuity Policy, and the annual corporate complaints report for 2025/26. The committee will also consider the proposed Corporate Compensation and Remedies Policy, the Customer Service Performance for 2025/26, and the Annual Scrutiny Report for 2025/26. Finally, members will discuss items for inclusion in the future work programme.

Council Delivery Plan - Performance Report - Quarter 4 2025/26

The committee is scheduled to review the performance report for the fourth quarter of the Council Delivery Plan for 2025/26. This report, presented by Councillor Keith Merrie, Finance and Corporate Portfolio Holder, will detail the Council's progress against its key performance indicators (KPIs) across four priority areas: A well-run Council, Clean and Green, Housing and Communities, and Planning and Regeneration. The report highlights strong performance in planning application determination, regeneration frameworks, housing services, and environmental performance, with North West Leicestershire achieving the highest recycling rate in Leicestershire. However, areas requiring improvement include customer complaints response times and rebuilding assurance for statements of accounts. The report also includes a summary of the Zero Carbon Roadmap activity for 2025/26.

Corporate Business Continuity Policy

A report from the Head of Human Resources and Organisation Development, Councillor Keith Merrie, will be presented concerning the Corporate Business Continuity Policy. This policy aims to establish a consistent, council-wide framework to support resilience, assurance, and continuous improvement in the event of disruptions. While service-level Business Continuity Plans are already in place, the proposed policy will provide organisation-wide governance, accountability, training, testing, and review mechanisms. The report notes that training for senior leadership on business continuity is being procured to enhance strategic readiness.

Annual Corporate Complaints 2025/26

The committee is set to review the Annual Corporate Complaints Report for 2025/26, presented by Councillor Andrew Woodman, Housing, Property and Customer Services Portfolio Holder. This report details complaints received across all directorates, as well as decisions from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) and the Housing Ombudsman (HO). The report indicates a decrease in stage 1 and stage 2 complaints compared to the previous year, with Housing Repairs and Waste Services receiving the highest number of complaints. It also highlights themes such as excessive time taken for services and incorrect service provision. The report details complaint outcomes, financial remedies awarded, and learning points identified to improve services, with a particular focus on communication, contractor oversight, and staff training.

Corporate Compensation and Remedies Policy

Councillor Andrew Woodman will also present the proposed Corporate Compensation and Remedies Policy. This policy aims to replace the existing housing-specific policy with a unified framework applicable across all council services. It outlines the council's approach to providing redress when service standards are not met, including apologies, practical remedies, and financial compensation. The policy aligns with guidance from the LGSCO and the Housing Ombudsman, and includes an authorisation framework for financial awards to ensure consistency and proportionality.

Customer Service Performance 2025/26

The committee will receive an annual report on Customer Service performance for 2025/26, presented by Councillor Andrew Woodman. This report summarises key metrics and trends, highlighting successes and areas for improvement in customer satisfaction and responsiveness. It details call volumes, face-to-face interactions, average call handling times, and the increasing use of digital self-service channels. The report notes challenges such as an increase in abusive behaviour and mental health issues among customers, impacting staff wellbeing and capacity. Despite these challenges, Customer Services successfully retained its accreditation, demonstrating strengths in active listening, enthusiasm, empathy, and professionalism. The report also addresses avoidable contact, identifying Revenues and Benefits and Waste services as areas with higher volumes of such contacts.

Annual Scrutiny Report 2025/26

The committee will consider the draft Annual Scrutiny Report for 2025/26, presented by Andy Barton, Strategic Director of Communities. This report summarises the work undertaken by both the Corporate Scrutiny Committee and the Community Scrutiny Committee over the preceding 12 months. It details the number of reports considered, recommendations made to Cabinet, and hours of public debate. The report includes forewords from the Chairs of both committees, Councillor Simon Lambeth (Corporate Scrutiny) and Councillor Terri Eynon (Community Scrutiny), reflecting on their work and the importance of scrutiny in local democracy.

Items for Inclusion in the Future Work Programme

Finally, the committee will discuss potential items for inclusion in its future work programme. This will involve reviewing the plan of forthcoming Cabinet decisions and the current work programme to identify key issues and topics for future investigation and inquiry. The Scrutiny Work Programming Group's role in considering requests and shaping the work programme will also be relevant to this discussion.