The Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Bury Council met on Tuesday 8 September 2026 to review the council's financial performance, discuss the award of a contract for electric vehicle charging points, and consider treasury management outturn reports. The meeting's agenda focused on financial oversight and strategic infrastructure development.

Finance Q1 and 2025/26 Treasury Outturn Report

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the council's financial position for the first quarter of 2026/27. This report indicated a projected overspend of £5.691 million, representing 2.26% of the net revenue budget. Significant pressures were identified within the Health and Adult Care and Children and Young People directorates, with contributing factors including increased demand for care packages and rising costs of children's residential and independent fostering agency placements. The report also detailed the savings programme for 2026/27, forecasting a shortfall of £2.326 million.

Furthermore, the committee was to review the 2025/26 Treasury Management Outturn Report. This report detailed the council's financial activities and performance in borrowing and investment for the previous financial year. It confirmed that all treasury management activities complied with the approved strategy and that the council met its prudential indicators relating to treasury management. The report also outlined the council's non-treasury investments, including holdings in Manchester Airport and various loan agreements related to regeneration projects.

Award of EVCI GM Contract to Install EV Chargepoints Throughout Bury

A significant item on the agenda was the award of a contract for the installation of electric vehicle charging points (EVCI) throughout Bury. This initiative is part of the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) programme, funded by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) and supported by the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) allocation for Bury, Oldham, and Rochdale. The procurement process, managed collaboratively by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) on behalf of all Greater Manchester local authorities, aimed to install chargepoints in areas lacking off-street parking or public charging facilities. The report indicated that a preferred supplier had been identified through a competitive tendering process, and approval was sought for TfGM to proceed with the contract award. This project aligns with the council's corporate priorities to support climate and carbon reduction commitments, improve air quality, and strengthen local infrastructure.

2025/26 Treasury Outturn Report

The committee was also scheduled to consider the 2025/26 Treasury Management Outturn Report. This report provided an overview of the council's treasury management activities, including an economic update for the financial year, details of council borrowing and investment, treasury performance, and compliance with prudential and treasury indicators. The report highlighted the impact of economic events, such as US trade tariffs and geopolitical conflicts, on financial markets and interest rates. It confirmed that the council's borrowing activities were constrained by prudential indicators and that gross borrowing remained within the authorised limit. The report also detailed the council's investment portfolio and non-treasury investments.

Other Scheduled Business

The agenda also included time for public question time and member question time, allowing for public and elected members to raise queries on matters related to the meeting's agenda or previous minutes. The minutes from the previous meeting held on 16 July 2026 were also presented for confirmation.