The Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee for Hosted Services met on 5 September 2025 to discuss the disaggregation of hosted services between Westmorland and Furness Council and Cumberland Council. The committee reviewed the progress of the disaggregation programme, focusing on the HR Occupational Health team and the overall programme's timeline. They also reviewed the committee's work programme.

HR Occupational Team Disaggregation

The committee discussed a report from Luci Robb, Assistant Director HR/OD Westmorland and Furness Council, regarding the disaggregation of the Occupational Health Service, planned for 31 March 2026. The report provided an update on the delivery model preferences from each authority and key milestones for the disaggregation process.

Occupational Health is currently a countywide service led by Westmorland and Furness Council, providing services to Westmorland and Furness Council, Cumberland Council, and Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service. Services include pre-employment checks, manager health referrals, ill-health retirement reviews, health surveillance checks, employee wellbeing support, and Hepatitis B vaccinations. The total cost for operating the Hosted Occupational Health Service is £836,000 per annum, including staffing costs of £610,000 and professional services and consumables costing £226,000.

The initial plan was to disaggregate the service by 31 March 2025, but this was extended to 1 October 2025, and subsequently to 31 March 2026, to allow the authorities more time to assess their Occupational Health Service strategies.

The proposed future service delivery models for each authority are:

• Westmorland & Furness Council: Will continue to provide an in-house Occupational Health Service specifically for its employees.
• Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service: Agreed to develop an in-house Occupational Health provision by 1 April 2026, also exploring a shared occupational health management function with Cumbria Constabulary in the next two to three years.
• Cumberland Council: Is considering all options, including an external market or partnership solution, due to the specialist nature of the function and existing capacity issues.

Key considerations for the disaggregation include the scarcity of Occupational Health professionals and the risk of inadequate resources and capacity if all three authorities opt for in-house services. The current service relies on a grow your own approach, which has taken several years to ensure adequate capacity.

The committee was asked to note the current model of delivery, service capacity, and activity of the Hosted Occupational Health Service, progress to date in respect of the planned disaggregation, and the latest advised delivery model preferences from each authority, as well as key milestones and activity for the disaggregation process.

Programme of Proposed Disaggregation

Alison Hatcher, Assistant Chief Executive, Westmorland and Furness Council and Jo Atkinson, Director of Corporate and Transformation Services, Cumberland Council, presented a report providing an update regarding progress against the proposed disaggregation programme for hosted services in Westmorland and Furness Council and Cumberland Council.

The report noted that the Joint Executive Committee is responsible for the oversight and management of hosted services, including the development and implementation of disaggregation plans, under the Inter Authority Agreement (IAA). Changes to disaggregation dates are reported to the Joint Executive Committee after an options appraisal.

Since the previous report on 6 June 2025, the Human Resources (HR) Payroll Administration: Payroll and HR Administration Service disaggregated on 31 July 2025. A table was provided detailing services successfully disaggregated since the programme commenced on 1 April 2023.

The committee was asked to consider the update on progress of the disaggregation of hosted services provided in the report, and refer any proposed amendments to the disaggregation programme to the Joint Executive Committee for consideration.

Committee Update and Work Programme

Tracey Moran, Strategic Policy and Scrutiny Advisor, presented a report providing members of the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee with an overview of matters related to the committee's work. The report also set out the committee's draft work programme.

The Inter Authority Agreement (IAA) sets out that the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee will seek at their meetings to:

• develop a forward work programme of activities
• review or scrutinise decisions made, or other action taken by the Joint Executive Committee
• seek reassurance and consider whether the Functions and Services are operating in accordance with the Service Strategies, including the budgets and any implementation plans for disaggregation and continuing service provision
• identification of barriers to progress, best practice and possible improvements
• hold the Joint Executive Committee to account by providing critical challenge to ensure that it provides the high-level strategic direction for the implementation of the Service Strategies.

The committee was asked to review progress on actions from previous meetings and review and agree any changes to the work programme.

The report included a table listing resolutions that require following up, with their status presented as either completed , pending , or outstanding .