The Overview and Scrutiny Committee met on Wednesday 11 September 2024 to discuss the performance of the BDMS responsive repairs service, the Planning Obligations Supplementary Planning Document, and the Council's revenue budget monitoring for the first quarter of the 2024/25 financial year. The committee resolved to note progress on responsive repairs and receive a further report on the service recovery plan, and noted the Planning Obligations SPD and the Revenue Budget Monitoring report.

BDMS Responsive Repairs Performance

The committee received an update on the performance of Barking & Dagenham Management Service (BDMS) in managing repairs and maintenance for council properties. Significant progress has been made in reducing legacy jobs, with a 100% reduction achieved by April 2024. Void management has also improved, with a reduction in open void properties from 62 to 31 between April and July 2024. Emergency repairs performance has improved to 86.3% for 2024/25, up from 69.9% in 2022/23, and resident satisfaction has increased from 76.1% in November 2023 to 82% in August 2024.

However, concerns were raised regarding the 223 open damp and mould repair jobs. The Strategic Director for My Place explained that a damp and mould policy is in place, ensuring all properties are inspected within a ten-day window, with the first treatment carried out within the same timeframe. A wider plan is in place to be more proactive, including planned maintenance such as gutter cleaning. The Chief Executive for BDTP confirmed that ten vulnerable individuals were among those with overdue damp and mould jobs, and that these individuals were prioritised.

The committee also noted improvements in void jobs, with a decreased timeline from 53 days to 24.2 days. The Chief Executive for BDTP explained that a one-off high investment in completing legacy work and a change in leadership at BDTP contributed to a significant reduction in open cases from 5,000 to 2,131. Regarding legal disrepair cases, there were 110 at the time of the meeting, down from 193 the previous year. BDTP has undergone a restructure to address these cases more quickly.

The committee resolved to:

• Note the progress made since the previous report in March 2024.
• Agree to receive a further report detailing the service recovery plan for challenges articulated in the report to enable OSC to monitor and challenge the performance of the BDMS responsive repair service over the next 12 months.

Planning Obligations Supplementary Planning Document (SPD)

The committee received a report on the Planning Obligations Supplementary Planning Document (SPD), which, alongside the Local Plan, provides guidance on the Council's approach to Section 106 planning obligations and the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). The SPD will be a material consideration in the determination of future planning applications.

The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a non-negotiable charge used to fund infrastructure to support development. There are two types of CIL in the borough: Mayoral CIL and Barking and Dagenham CIL. The report highlighted plans to build 40,000 new homes, and the Cabinet Member for Regeneration & Economic Development assured the committee that viability assessments had been conducted to ensure local infrastructure could support these developments. The Council's Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP) outlines necessary infrastructure, including transport strategies.

Concerns were raised about the lack of car parking spaces in new developments and how CIL obligations would be met. The Cabinet Member explained that car parking would be limited across London as the Mayor aims to reduce car use. The committee also raised concerns about transport links within the borough, particularly interconnections. The Cabinet Member stated that improving public transport is a key priority, with investment from Transport For London (TfL) secured for bus and cycling routes. Ward councillors will be updated on new transport developments.

Regarding the A13 flyover, replacement works are scheduled to begin in 2025 and are expected to take 18 months to a year. Funding is also allocated for a new bus link along Goresbrook Road. The committee noted the report.

Revenue Budget Monitoring 2024/25 (Quarter 1, June 2024)

The committee reviewed the Council's revenue budget monitoring position for the first quarter of the 2024/25 financial year. Expenditure is forecast to be £225.590m against a budget of £221.745m, resulting in a forecast overspend of £3.844m. This figure accounts for transfers to and from reserves.

The adverse movement is primarily attributed to lower than budgeted International Accounting Standards (IAS) returns, driven by the deteriorating financial performance of IAS residential and commercial assets. Independent advisors are reviewing the IAS portfolio.

Significant pressures of approximately £2.1m within Adult Social Care were highlighted, even after utilising the full £4m contingency held centrally. The report noted a forecast underspend of approximately £6m on employee costs due to ongoing management control of vacancies, which is a temporary benefit unless these vacancies are filled permanently.

Progress on delivering in-year savings of £15.595m for 2024/25 showed that £4.449m is currently off track. The report also detailed progress on savings to bridge the £25.946m budget gap for 2025/26.

The Housing Revenue Account (HRA) is projecting an underspend of £395,000, an improvement from the previous year's overspend. This is partly due to a reduction in the BDMS contract.

A forecast overspend of £4.137m on the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), within the High Needs Block, is primarily due to increased demand and provider costs for out-of-borough placements and an increase in demand for post-16 top-up payments.

The dividend from Be First is unlikely to be fully realised, with an expected receipt of £7.5m, and the balance of £2.89m to be met from the IAS reserve. This is a one-off mitigation, and a strategic review of Be First's ability to generate future dividends is underway. The budget gap for 2025/26 prudently assumes no future dividend.

The Capital Programme is forecasting an underspend of £0.255m against the re-profiled budget, mainly due to the cancellation of works at the Woodward Arts and Culture Centre.

The committee noted the report and was asked to discuss any issues with the Cabinet Member for Finance, Growth and Core Services and the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health Integration, and make recommendations to Cabinet.

Work Programme

The committee noted the work programme for the upcoming meetings.