The Policy Review and Performance Scrutiny Committee reviewed the council's budget outturn for the 2025/26 financial year, noting a balanced budget despite directorate overspends, and began planning its work programme for the upcoming year. The committee also discussed committee business, including the approval of draft pages for the Scrutiny Annual Report and noted correspondence with the Cabinet.

Budget Outturn 2025/26

The committee scrutinised the council's budget outturn for the 2025/26 financial year, which resulted in a balanced budget. This was achieved despite overspends in several directorates, including Economic Development (£1.482 million), Children's Services (£1.052 million), and Planning, Transport & Environment (£987,000). These were offset by underspends in Capital Financing (£4.346 million) and Adult Services (£1.036 million).

Councillor Leonora Thomson, Cabinet Member for Finance, Modernisation & Performance, presented the outturn report, highlighting that while the overall budget was balanced, significant work had been undertaken throughout the year to manage pressures. Councillor Garry Hunt and Councillor Mike Ash-Edwards Ash-Edwards both raised questions regarding the underspend in Adult Services, particularly in light of reported difficulties in social care. Ian Allwood, Chief Finance & Deputy S151 Officer, explained that while pressures remain, the underspend was partly due to not needing to utilise contingency funds and the impact of late-arriving grants.

Concerns were raised about the capital programme, with a significant underspend of £98 million in the General Fund. Councillor Graham Hinchey questioned whether this indicated an overambitious programme, and Councillor Bernie Bowen-Thomson inquired about the use of civil parking enforcement funds and the potential for greater flexibility in using funds from the Housing Revenue Account. Ian Allwood confirmed that the capital underspend was largely due to slippage and timing issues, and that the underspend did contribute to interest savings. He also noted that while there are rules governing the use of funds from ring-fenced accounts, these are constantly reviewed.

The committee also discussed the council's reserves, which had increased overall, and the performance against savings targets, noting a shortfall of £2.262 million. The work programming for 2026/27 was also discussed, with members suggesting topics such as the consequences of the Supreme Court ruling on the Equality Act and lessons learned from the Mendy and Kitei's school expansion. Other suggested topics included communications with the public, customer service levels, and the implications of trusts, particularly for Cardiff's parks.

Committee Business

The committee confirmed its meeting dates for the 2026/27 municipal year, which will run from July 2026 to March 2027, with the exception of August. Members were asked to approve draft pages for the Scrutiny Annual Report 2025/26, which highlighted key achievements such as the Council's first independent Panel Performance Assessment (PPA) and scrutiny of the Change Programme and Senior Management Arrangements. The committee also noted correspondence with the Cabinet from December 2025 to April 2026, with several responses still outstanding.

Developing a Work Programme 2026/27

The committee discussed the process for developing its work programme for the upcoming year. Following recommendations from the PPA, the council has committed to rebalancing scrutiny towards earlier, strategic engagement and improving organisational culture, communication, and feedback mechanisms. An action plan has been developed to address these recommendations, and members were asked to consider how to prioritise potential work programme items, with a final programme to be approved in September 2026. Suggestions for the work programme included focusing on the consequences of the Supreme Court ruling on the Equality Act, lessons learned from the Mendy and Kitei's school expansion, communications with the public, and the implications of trusts for Cardiff's parks. Councillor Garry Hunt also raised the issue of customer service levels and public perception of the council's communications.