The Overview & Scrutiny Committee met on Thursday 15 October 2026 to discuss key priorities, risks, and challenges across the council's directorates. The meeting included detailed presentations on Adult Care Services, Resources, Children's Services, Community Protection, and Growth and Environment. The committee also reviewed proposals for the upcoming budget scrutiny process and updated its work programme for 2026-27.

Adult Care Services

Helen Maneuf, Executive Director of Adult Care Services, presented an overview of the department's work, highlighting a significant emphasis on prevention and early intervention to manage rising demand. Key priorities include expanding the supply of nursing home care and supported accommodation, innovating with technology, and supporting unpaid carers. The department faces challenges such as workforce supply issues, increasing demand, and the volatility of the social care market. The net budget for Adult Care Services is £562.5 million. Councillors raised concerns about the team's capacity to manage increased demand, particularly regarding occupational therapy and safeguarding waiting lists. Discussions also touched upon staffing profiles, pay rates, and measures to prevent staff burnout. The rising number of self-funders turning to the council for support was identified as a significant and surprising trend.

Resources

Scott Crudgington, Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director of Resources, outlined the department's role in providing core support services, including finance, HR, technology, property, and legal services, alongside frontline services like libraries and registration. The department's underlying themes are good governance, risk management, financial sustainability, and compliance. Key priorities include delivering a sustainable budget for 2027-28, accelerating the disposals programme, and embracing artificial intelligence (AI). Challenges include managing increasing demand pressures, the impact of inflation, and the uncertainty surrounding Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). The department is also focusing on improving equality, diversity, and inclusion, particularly addressing the lack of progress for minority ethnic backgrounds at senior levels. Cyber resilience is highlighted as the council's single largest risk.

Children's Services

Jo Fisher, Executive Director for Children's Services, presented the department's £310 million budget, which accounts for 26% of the overall council revenue budget. The service supports nearly 300,000 children and young people, with increasing demand driven by financial stress, parental mental health issues, and children's well-being concerns. The department has strengths in its early help and family safeguarding approach, with Ofsted rating services as 'Good' and 'Outstanding'. Key priorities include strengthening early help through the Families First programme, continuing work on foster care and residential provision, and delivering the SEND reform plan. Challenges include elevated demand across the system, particularly for children with significant needs, and financial sustainability issues for some schools due to falling birth rates. The projected increase in Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) is a significant concern, with a 302% rise since 2015.

Community Protection

Alex Woodman, Executive Director of Community Protection, and Darren Cook, Assistant Chief Fire Officer, presented an overview of the directorate's broad range of functions, including Public Health, Community Safety (Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service), and Regulatory Services (Trading Standards). Public Health's priorities include supporting those most in need and ensuring children and young people thrive, with key deliverables such as a new domestic abuse advocacy service and investment in healthy eating programmes. Risks include the public health grant not keeping pace with demand and complexity, and changes to NHS commissioning structures. The Fire and Rescue Service's priorities are guided by its community risk management plan, focusing on prevention and supporting vulnerable individuals. Challenges include managing increased demand due to climate change and severe weather, and the need to upgrade fire stations, particularly regarding contaminant routes.

Growth and Environment

Mark Doran, Executive Director of Growth and Environment, outlined the department's responsibilities, which span highways and transport, growth and place, sustainability, Herts Futures (economic development), and waste services. Key priorities include fixing Hertfordshire's roads and buses, growing a more sustainable Hertfordshire, and improving access to education and employment. Risks include economic factors like inflation, climate change and severe weather, population growth, and workforce capacity. The department is focusing on adapting to climate change by improving flood mitigation through planning applications and investigating flooding incidents. For highways, efforts are being made to manage intense rainfall by reviewing drainage systems and ensuring flexibility between gritting and pothole repair crews.

Budget Scrutiny Proposals for 2027/28

The committee discussed proposals for the upcoming budget scrutiny process. Key changes include moving from portfolio-based to directorate-based evidence gathering sessions to improve efficiency and reduce repetition. Cabinet Panel meetings will precede the OSC evidence gathering sessions, with summaries of budget discussions from the panels being circulated to OSC members. The approach to Lines of Enquiry will shift from specific questions to broader themes to encourage more organic debate. The committee agreed to the proposed programme, including two days for evidence gathering on 25 and 26 January 2027, and a final meeting on 29 January 2027 to agree recommendations.

Scrutiny Work Programme 2026-27

The committee reviewed and updated its work programme for 2026-27. A proposal to add an item on secondary school admissions processes in areas with mixed three-tier systems, particularly concerning the clarity and fairness of allocations involving middle schools, was discussed. While the Executive Member for Education, SEND and Inclusion confirmed that the current policy is legally compliant and amendments are being made to improve communication, the committee agreed to add a broader scrutiny of the school admissions process to the work programme, acknowledging the resident's ongoing concerns. The committee also agreed to remove the utilities aspect from a proposed scrutiny of highways due to separate ongoing work in that area. The annual Crime and Disorder Scrutiny Review on youth offending was confirmed, with Councillor Chris Alley volunteering to chair it.

The meeting concluded with the approval of the budget scrutiny proposals and the updated scrutiny work programme.