The Scrutiny Coordinating Committee met on Thursday 9 July 2026 to review the Council's financial outturn for the 2025-26 period, discuss the Corporate Impact Framework, and consider the draft Scrutiny Annual Report. Key discussions included the Council's revenue and capital expenditure, the Housing Revenue Account, and the Dedicated Schools Grant, alongside an overview of the Chief Executive Directorate's services. The committee also reviewed the action and recommendation trackers from previous meetings and discussed items for future forward plans.

Overview of Chief Executive Directorate

The committee received an overview of the services within the Chief Executive Directorate, including Communications and Campaigns, and Workforce and Culture. Ms Amy Buxton-Jennings, Strategic Director for Strategy, Change & Communities, and Ms Kerry Wickens, Corporate Director of Resident Experience and Digital, presented the report. Key priorities for Communications and Campaigns included establishing a coherent narrative for the Council's priorities and enhancing social media delivery. Challenges identified were embedding changes from a recent service restructure and managing unplanned events. The Workforce and Culture function highlighted successes in reducing agency spend and increasing internal promotions, while acknowledging the ongoing challenge of maintaining staff engagement during required savings and headcount reductions.

Capital and Revenue Outturn 2025-26

Ms Ursula Gamble, Acting Section 151 Officer, presented the Capital and Revenue Outturn report for the 2025-26 financial year. The Council's General Fund showed a drawdown from reserves of £2.710m to achieve a balanced position, with an overall service overspend of £25.231m offset by corporate underspends and additional business rates income. The Housing Revenue Account (HRA) reported a £5.612m underspend, with the total surplus transferred to reserves. The Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) showed a deficit of £14.320m, primarily in the High Needs block. Capital expenditure was £143.242m against a budget of £171.958m, resulting in a net slippage of £28.716m. The committee was asked to note these positions and approve the carry-forward of net slippage for capital budgets.

Introduction to the Corporate Impact Framework (CIF)

Mr Daniel Gardiner, Assistant Director of Strategy & Design, and Mr Tom Dowler, Assistant Director of Data, introduced the Corporate Impact Framework (CIF). This framework uses a dashboard of 90 impact metrics across the organisation to provide a high-level view of council performance, resident experience, and organisational health. The CIF is updated monthly, with commentary provided every two months. The committee was asked to review the framework and discuss how its approach to data and insight could respond to corporate priorities and encourage more mature conversations around data and impact. The report also highlighted the alignment between CIF metrics and the national Local Outcomes Framework (LOF).

Scrutiny Annual Report

Ms Emily Wood, Head of Democratic Services, presented the draft Scrutiny Annual Report for the 2025-26 municipal year. The report summarised the work of all scrutiny committees, themed reviews, and collaborative activities. The committee was invited to review the draft and make comments before it was presented to Full Council. The report detailed the activity of the Coordinating Scrutiny, Budget, Children and Families, Climate, Communities and Public Protection, Health and Adult Social Care, and Housing and Inclusive Economy committees, as well as joint health scrutiny and the work of the Young Advisors.

The Scrutiny Report

Ms Holly Brogden-Knight, Democratic Services Officer, presented the Scrutiny Report, which included the Action Tracker, Recommendation Tracker, and Forward Plan. The committee reviewed the progress on actions from the previous meeting, noted completed actions, and discussed the recommendations made. They also reviewed the Cabinet Forward Plan and proposed items for the Scrutiny Coordinating Committee's forward plan for the upcoming municipal year, including topics such as the Communications Strategy, Equalities Objectives Refresh, Data Strategy, and the Prevention Programme Plan.

The meeting also included updates on the Capital and Revenue Outturn for 2025-26, with detailed breakdowns by directorate. The committee noted the significant underspend in capital expenditure, largely due to slippage on various projects, and the revenue outturn which showed a drawdown from reserves to balance the budget. The Housing Revenue Account reported a surplus, while the Dedicated Schools Grant showed a deficit.

The committee was also provided with detailed analyses of service variances for 2025-26, including overspends in Adult Social Care and Children's Services, and underspends in Chief Executives, Neighbourhoods and Environment, and Resources directorates. The Place Directorate reported a significant overspend, largely driven by Temporary Accommodation costs, but this was partially offset by underspends in Property Services. The Housing Revenue Account showed a substantial surplus.

Finally, the committee reviewed the Capital Outturn for 2025-26, detailing expenditure and financing sources across various directorates. Significant slippage was noted in several capital programmes, particularly within Housing General Fund and Place Directorate projects. The report also provided details on capital receipts and reserves.

The meeting concluded with the noting of the reports and the agreement of actions and recommendations for future work.