The Place Scrutiny Panel met on Monday 6 July 2026 to discuss regeneration and housing, environment, communities and culture, and to set the scrutiny work programme for the upcoming year. Key decisions included agreeing to write to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government regarding concerns about the relocation of residents to northern areas, and selecting four topics for review in the 2026-2027 municipal year.

Regeneration and Housing Directorate

The Panel received an overview of the Regeneration and Housing directorate, which encompasses service areas such as Growth and Assets, Housing, Public Protection, and Community Learning. Current priorities for the directorate include transforming the town centre, developing a new community at Middlehaven, addressing council accommodation issues, and accelerating housing growth.

Several challenges facing the directorate were highlighted, including retail decline, anti-social behaviour (ASB) in the town centre, a difficult office market, and rising construction costs. The issue of empty properties was also discussed, with approximately 2,500 empty domestic properties in Middlesbrough. The Council is undertaking a street-by-street project to address this, working with stakeholders.

Members expressed concern about the practice of councils in London and the South East relocating homeless families and vulnerable residents to northern areas like Teesside due to housing shortages and high accommodation costs. This often separates families from their support networks. In response, the Panel agreed that officers would write a letter on behalf of the Chair to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to highlight these concerns. The Panel also noted the information provided and agreed that a list of streets being targeted for empty property initiatives would be circulated.

Environment, Communities and Culture Directorate

An overview of the Environment, Communities and Culture directorate was also presented. The directorate's responsibilities include Environment Services, Highways and Infrastructure, Neighbourhoods, Cultural Services, and the North East Migration Partnership. Key priorities for the upcoming year include rolling out new waste management arrangements, improving environmental conditions, expanding neighbourhood working, and maintaining and developing highway infrastructure. The directorate is also focused on its City of Culture bid, investment in cultural services, and expanding events.

Members sought an update on the City of Culture bid, which was reported to be progressing well. It was noted that the bid process itself would help strengthen partnerships and raise Middlesbrough's profile, regardless of the outcome. Concerns were raised about environmental issues in the town centre, such as fly-tipping and overflowing commercial waste bins. The implementation of new waste management arrangements was discussed, with acknowledgement of initial operational issues that were improving, including the introduction of food waste collections.

Setting the Scrutiny Work Programme 2026/2027

The Panel discussed and agreed on its work programme for the 2026-2027 municipal year. Following a review of suggested topics, the following four items were selected for scrutiny:

• Middlesbrough's Bicentenary (ongoing review): This topic, already under review, will continue to be a focus.
• The Selective Landlord Licensing Scheme/Licensing of Private Rented Properties: This topic was chosen for formal review, with the exact title to be agreed.
• Future Plans for Transforming the Town Centre: The scope of this review will focus on future plans, distinct from the previous Barriers to Regeneration review.
• Fly-tipping: A shorter review was deemed suitable for this topic.

In addition to these investigation topics, the regular statutory updates on Flood Risk Management, RIPA (Regulation of Investigatory Powers), the Community Safety Partnership, and Prevent and Channel will also be included in the programme. The agreed topics will be submitted to the Overview and Scrutiny Board for approval.

Chair's OSB Update

The Vice-Chair provided a verbal update on agenda items discussed at the Overview and Scrutiny Board meeting held on 15 April 2026. Topics included scrutiny chairs' updates, the Executive Forward Work Programme, progress on forward plan actions, and reports on the Council's approach to poverty and the role of faith and belief groups in civic life. The Panel noted this information.