The Finance and Performance Scrutiny Committee met on Monday 6 July 2026 to review the final spend of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, discuss the end-of-year performance and risk management report, and examine business rates and housing revenue account rent performance. The committee noted the full spend of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, reviewed the council's performance against its indicators, and acknowledged significant improvements in housing rent collection.

Hinckley and Bosworth UK Shared Prosperity Fund Update

The committee received an update on the Hinckley and Bosworth UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) for 2025-26. Daniel Britton, who presented the report, confirmed that the council had been allocated just over £850,000 for the UKSPF and an additional £120,000 for the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF). This was the final year of the UKSPF programme, with allocations set to decrease in future years. The council successfully supported 20 projects through the UKSPF and 10 projects through the REPF, with a letter received on 10 June confirming the full spend of these funds. Councillors expressed their satisfaction with the tangible outcomes of the grants, noting that the funding had been well-spent and had made a positive difference to many people. While acknowledging that many programmes had to close due to the reduction in funding, the council had continued some initiatives, such as Warm Spaces, using core funding. The committee was informed that the REPF grants had supported six enterprises and four organisations in improving productivity, with projects ranging from solar panel installations to business development. The report highlighted that the fund had illustrated the council's ability to effectively allocate funding to where it would be best spent within its communities and businesses, with projects coming in on budget. The committee resolved to note the final position regarding the full spend and delivery for both the UKSPF and REPF programmes.

Performance and Risk Management Framework End of Year Summary

Sharon Stacey presented the end-of-year summary for the council's corporate performance indicators for 2025-26. Out of 53 monitored indicators, 32 were on target, 14 were within 15% of target, and six missed the target by more than 15%. The report also detailed 92 service improvement plan actions, with eight identified as corporate SIPs, only one of which showed signs of slippage. The committee discussed sickness absence, with Sharon Stacey explaining that while some absences were stress-related due to personal issues, the council managed sickness absence monthly and mitigated any impact on services. The discussion also touched upon the recruitment of employees under 25 and apprenticeships. The council had 11 apprenticeships underway and had recently won Apprentice Employer of the Year at the Leicestershire Employment Hub Awards. Efforts were being made to attract younger people to the council through work experience programmes and by highlighting the diverse range of careers available. The committee also raised questions about debt over 90 days, noting that a significant portion was owed by another local authority, and about housing voids, with the team confident that performance would improve in the current financial year. The committee resolved to note the 2025-26 end-of-year status for performance indicators, review risks, and noted that a dashboard report with trend analysis would be used for performance indicator reporting in 2026-27.

Business Rates and Pooling Update

Ashley Wilson provided an update on business rates and pooling for Quarter 4 of 2025-26. The report indicated a small net gain of £11,000 against the budget for the year, meaning the council was largely on target. The Leicestershire pool arrangement for business rates concluded in 2025-26 due to changes in financial settlements, which made the pool no longer financially viable and potentially a risk. This dissolution meant that the council would no longer receive the £1 million boost to its funding that had been part of the budget reports. Councillor P Williams questioned whether the new arrangement was easier to understand, to which Ashley Wilson responded that while it might be simpler, it came at a cost to the council, as the £1 million return would be lost. The committee noted the contents of the report.

Housing Revenue Account - Rent Performance

Lois Hodgkins presented the year-end rent performance for the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) for 2025-26, highlighting a significant improvement in rent collection. Total rent arrears stood at just over £540,000 across 439 households, the lowest year-end arrears position in the last three years. Arrears had reduced by over £150,000 compared to March 2025 and nearly £191,000 compared to March 2024. Rent collection achieved 98.58% against a target of 97%, and the reduction in outstanding debt was 15.47%, significantly above the target of 3%. This improvement was achieved despite ongoing cost of living pressures and an increase in Universal Credit caseloads, indicating that early intervention and support arrangements were having a positive impact. The improvements followed a comprehensive review of the rent service, which identified that the service had been under-resourced. A whole-service approach to tenancy management was introduced, making rent collection a core responsibility for all tenancy management officers. While benchmarking data showed arrears levels remained above average for the council's peer group, the trend was moving in the right direction. The committee noted the positive report and the significant improvement in arrears performance.