The Community and Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to consider a range of important topics, including a road safety audit for California Crossroads, the draft Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, and the council's housing performance. The committee was also scheduled to review guidance on effective budget scrutiny and its work programme for the upcoming year.

California Crossroads Safety Audit

The committee was scheduled to consider the Stage 4 Safety Audit for California Crossroads. This audit was scheduled to review the safety of the junction following its construction. The report indicated that there were no personal injury collisions recorded at the junction itself during the 12-month post-construction period. The single collision that did occur, approximately 30 metres west of the junction, involved a car colliding with a pedestrian. The contributory factors for this collision were attributed to driver negligence, including being affected by alcohol and aggressive driving, rather than the highway layout. The report noted that this collision occurred in daylight with fine weather and a dry road surface, suggesting these environmental factors were unlikely to have contributed. The California Crossroads junction had previously been discussed by the committee on 4 March 2025.

Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2026-31

The committee was scheduled to scrutinise the draft Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2026–31 and its supporting documents. This strategy outlines the council's five-year approach to preventing homelessness and reducing rough sleeping, focusing on six key priorities: working together to prevent homelessness earlier, increasing access to settled and affordable housing, reducing reliance on temporary accommodation, strengthening housing and support for those with multiple challenges, ensuring rough sleeping is rare and brief, and providing consistent support with clear accountability. The strategy was scheduled to be informed by a Homelessness Review, consultation with residents and partners, and analysis of local demand and housing pressures. A Year 1 Action Plan was scheduled to detail public commitments for November 2026 to October 2027, and an integral Temporary Accommodation Policy was scheduled to provide the framework for sourcing, allocating, and managing temporary accommodation. The council's previous strategy was noted as no longer current, necessitating this review and update.

Housing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

The committee was scheduled to scrutinise the Quarter 1 2026–27 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Housing. These measures were selected to provide corporate oversight of homelessness outcomes, housing decency, and key landlord health and safety compliance areas. The report was scheduled to explain the rationale behind the chosen measures, summarise the Quarter 1 position, and describe the ongoing development of the council's housing performance framework. This framework is evolving into a risk-based assurance system, incorporating corporate KPIs, the Regulator of Social Housing's measures, and dynamic measures for emerging risks. The report also noted the council's engagement with the Regulator of Social Housing following a self-referral in May 2026 concerning smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, Awaab's Law reporting, and the calculation of the Decent Homes Standard. The Regulator had confirmed no further action would be taken on these specific matters, but the council was asked to continue raising emerging concerns early. The committee was invited to consider whether the current compliance KPIs provide sufficient assurance over landlord safety and Decent Homes performance, including the management of exceptions and remedial actions.

Principles of Effective Budget Scrutiny

The committee was scheduled to consider a guidance note on effective budget scrutiny, provided by the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny (CfGS). This guidance was intended to assist the committee in its preparations for the annual Budget Scrutiny process. The report highlighted that effective scrutiny was scheduled to require a proactive and integrated approach, starting early in the budget-setting process rather than focusing solely on a final draft. The committee's budget scrutiny timetable was outlined, beginning with a budget overview and details of the council's financial reserves on 4 November, followed by scrutiny of the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) across various service areas in subsequent meetings. The committee's role in scrutinising the council's reserves, capital and revenue proposals, and the MTFP was emphasised as crucial for ensuring value for money and resident benefit.

Work Programme and Action Tracker

Finally, the committee was scheduled to consider its work programme for 2026–27 and review the regular Action Tracker report. The work programme outlines the topics the committee was scheduled to examine throughout the year, while the Action Tracker was scheduled to provide updates on actions arising from previous meetings.