This meeting was scheduled to include updates on the council’s finances and performance, and to consider issues related to the Planning Enforcement Service, and how to address local poverty.

Planning Enforcement Service

The committee was scheduled to consider a report on the Planning Enforcement Service following a decision from the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) that the service had failed a resident by failing to properly investigate a planning complaint within a reasonable time.

The complaint in question related to a carport erected at 10 Bowers Close.

‘A Planning Enforcement Officer can reasonably deal with 40 cases at any one time, provided those cases are simple.’

The meeting report pack included the suggestion that the council could hire 6 more Planning Enforcement Officers for 18 months to deal with the backlog of cases that had contributed to the service failure.

The committee was also scheduled to consider a proposal to reduce the level of service provided by the planning enforcement team by ceasing investigation into complaints about a range of commonly occurring breaches of planning rules.

‘Specifically, it was suggested the following types of enforcement cases fall within either a temporary or permanent ‘no investigation’ type: i. Boundaries ii. Windows iii. Signs/adverts iv. Shopfronts v. Painting vi. Condition of land (s215/grotbusters) vii. Extensions and outbuildings’

Anti-Poverty Review

The committee was scheduled to consider a report asking them to agree to focus their review of the council’s work to tackle poverty on child poverty. This request followed the adoption of a motion by the full council asking for this focus in September 2024.

‘...set up a task and finish group to work on development of a local plan to combat Child Poverty as part of their already planned workstream on anti-poverty strategies and initiatives.’

The committee was also scheduled to review the findings of the Hastings & St Leonards Anti-Poverty Strategy (2016-2020) which included the following objectives:

‘Education and Employment: Improve education and employment opportunities for the most disadvantaged groups Health and Well-being: Reduce health inequalities and promote well-being Housing: Seek adequate provision and access to affordable, good-quality homes’

The report pack contains a suggestion that the committee work with Hastings Voluntary Action (HVA) and the Poverty Truth Network, as well as other council partners including East Sussex County Council, NHS Sussex and local schools.

Performance Monitoring

The committee was scheduled to review the council's performance for Quarter 2 (July-September) 2024/25. This review was to be conducted using a report prepared in the ‘SmartSheet’ format.

The committee was also scheduled to agree to corporate priorities and performance indicators for the remainder of the 2024/25 financial year.

The report pack included a list of 56 priority activities proposed by the council’s Senior Leadership Team, along with 2 new key activities.

‘• Carry out review of polling districts. • Support the new Land Stability programme.’

This schedule of activities will feed into the development of a new Corporate Plan for 2025-2029. The report pack included a suggested vision and list of themes for the new plan.

‘“Our aim is to make a Hastings where residents are proud of their town and feel safe, valued and heard; where secure housing is available, affordable and energy efficient, and people can live healthy, fulfilling lives with the right skills and education to access good well paid jobs”.’

The suggested themes are:

‘1 A financially stable council that delivers high quality, responsive services in cooperation with local people.

1. Tackling homelessness, poverty and ensuring good quality housing
2. Take action to tackle the climate and nature crisis
3. Making Hastings a great place to live and work with a greater pride of place.’

Finally, the committee was scheduled to consider a new reporting format for performance, risk and finance. This proposed new format was to be based on the existing SmartSheet format, and was intended to come into effect in Quarter 1 of 2025/26.

Financial Monitoring

The committee was scheduled to review the council’s finances up to the end of October 2024.

The report pack included a suggestion that the council was forecasting an overspend of £1,882,673 for the year, which is an increase of £1,086,375 (136%) over the budgeted deficit of £796,300.

‘The adverse variance is being driven by a significant increase in the amount of budgeted Direct Service Expenditure. This has increased from a budgeted £16,094,677 to a forecast £18,037,853 (+£1,943,176 or 12.1%).’

The main driver for this overspend was reported to be temporary accommodation costs.

‘The remaining adverse variance of £1,066,273 in Direct Service Expenditure is largely attributable to temporary accommodation costs of £1,052,234. Preventative action has stabilised demand, but budgeted savings around reducing this cost have not materialised.’

The report pack also included an update on the progress of the PIER (Priority Income, and Expenditure Review) savings programme. The programme was intended to achieve net savings of £1,266,043, and by the end of October £607,980 (48%) of these savings had been achieved.

The financial monitoring report pack concluded by suggesting that the council would need to find further savings to balance its budget.

‘Significant efforts need to be made to reduce overspend and identify offsetting savings. The challenge to deliver a balanced budget is ever-increasing in light of the struggle to deliver cost savings in temporary accommodation.’

Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme

The committee was scheduled to review its work programme for the 2024/25 financial year.

The meeting report pack included a suggestion that the committee pursue work under two themes:

’Resident Experience- • Public Engagement and Consultation • Anti-Poverty Strategies and Initiatives • Youth Provision Living Environment- • Waste Provision and Enforcement • Floods and Landslides Future Planning • Renewable Energy Strategy and Initiatives’

It was also suggested that the committee continue its practice of reviewing previous recommendations.

This work was to be conducted using a combination of reviews and updates, using information gathered at quarterly performance monitoring meetings as well as information gathered through focused investigations.