Here's a summary of the Economy and Resources Scrutiny Committee meeting held by Darlington Council on 4 September 2025:

The committee reviewed a draft Homes Strategy, a joint Climate Change and Nature Strategy, performance indicators, complaints data, the capital programme, revenue budget monitoring, and the investment fund. The committee approved the work programme for the 2025/26 municipal year.

Here's a more detailed breakdown of the key discussion points:

Homes Strategy Consultation

The committee considered the draft Homes Strategy, which aims to provide high-quality, safe, secure, and sustainable housing for all residents. The strategy focuses on building new homes, improving existing housing standards to achieve net zero carbon, and meeting the needs of an ageing population.

The draft strategy sets a high-level vision to provide high quality homes in attractive places across all tenures; meeting the housing needs of residents and ensuring access to safe, secure, comfortable and sustainable housing for all. There are also three associated objectives which are set out below and a number of actions which we aim to achieve over the next five years. These actions are summarised in Appendix 1 of the strategy:

• Objective 1: Building homes, with an emphasis on affordable and social homes, to meet local needs;
• Objective 2: Improving the standards of existing housing, achieving net zero carbon and revitalising neighbourhoods;
• Objective 3: Meeting the needs of our ageing population and supporting people to live independently.

The committee was asked to provide formal comments as part of the ongoing consultation.

Climate Change and Nature Strategy

The committee reviewed the draft joint Climate Change and Nature Restoration Strategy, which combines the council's existing climate change emergency declaration with a new nature recovery emergency declaration made in May 2025. The strategy outlines principles for action in both areas, including reducing energy consumption, promoting renewable energy, improving habitat connectivity, and halting biodiversity decline.

The strategy sets out five principles to underpin climate change actions:

• Reduce overall energy consumption
• Reduce demand for fossil fuel-based energy
• Contribute to a greener grid
• Sequester carbon
• Adaptation

And five principles to underpin nature restoration commitments:

• Improve the connectivity of habitats
• Increase the resilience of natural environments
• Halt and reverse biodiversity decline
• Ensure all developments are designed for nature and climate
• Review environmental management practices on council-owned land

The committee was asked to approve the joint strategy.

Performance Indicators

The committee examined performance data for key indicators in the fourth quarter of 2024/25. Some key highlights:

• Culture: Weekly average footfall in the town centre increased from 237,731 to 271,764.
• Planning: The percentage of major planning applications decided within 13 weeks increased from 84.6% to 90.9%.
• Economic Growth: The monthly unemployment claimant count percentage improved from 4.24% to 4.03%.
• Human Resources: The number of working days lost due to sickness increased from 9.3 to 10.3 days per full-time equivalent (FTE).
• Complaints and Information Governance: The number of complaints upheld by the Local Government Ombudsman/Housing Ombudsman decreased from 10 to 8, and the number of complaints upheld by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) decreased from 9 to 3.
• Housing and Revenues: The amount of Council Tax arrears collected decreased from £1,880,721 to £1,848,869.
• Environmental Health: 100% of food premises were inspected within the year they were due, up from 96.6%.

Complaints, Compliments and Comments

The committee reviewed the 2024/25 annual reports on complaints, compliments, and comments for various council departments, including Adult Social Care, Children's Social Care, Corporate services, Housing, and Public Health.

Key observations:

• The council received a total of 747 complaints, 219 compliments, and 45 comments during 2024/25.
• Adult Social Care saw a decrease in complaints and an increase in compliments.
• Children's Social Care saw a decrease in complaints at Stage 1 but an increase in complaints escalated to Stage 2.
• Corporate complaints increased, as did compliments, while comments decreased.
• Housing complaints increased, particularly at Stage 1, which was attributed to increased promotion of the complaints procedure and the launch of the Housing Ombudsman's Statutory Complaints Handling Code.
• Public Health received a low number of representations.

The committee discussed examples of organisational learning resulting from complaints, such as additional training for social workers, updates to policies and procedures, and improvements to communication with residents.

Project Position Statement and Capital Programme Monitoring

The committee reviewed the Project Position Statement and Capital Programme Monitoring report for the first quarter of 2025/26. The projected outturn of the current Capital Programme is £354.868m against an approved programme of £354.982m. The report provided updates on the status of live construction projects, including the Skinnergate Re-development Housing and the Hopetown Darlington project, which were identified as having variances.

Revenue Budget Monitoring

The committee considered the Revenue Budget Monitoring report for the first quarter of 2025/26. The latest projections show an overall decline of £2.166m on the 2025-29 Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP). This is due to £3.489m of departmental pressures, a decline in corporate resources of £0.166m, offset by £1.489m of additional balances following the 2024/25 final outturn.

Investment Fund Update

The committee reviewed the annual update on the Investment Fund, which was established to generate greater returns through innovative investment opportunities. The fund is currently funding 11 schemes, including joint venture (JV) vehicles and economic regeneration initiatives. Returns on JV's are anticipated to be over £8.4m and three of the JV schemes have completed with the investment fully repaid and recycled back into the fund.

Work Programme

The committee approved the work programme for the 2025/26 municipal year, which includes regular monitoring of performance, the Medium-Term Financial Plan, the capital programme, and updates on key economic and strategic initiatives.

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Here's the updated summary:

The Economy and Resources Scrutiny Committee of Darlington Council convened on Thursday, 4 September 2025, to discuss a range of strategic and financial matters. The committee reviewed a draft Homes Strategy, a joint Climate Change and Nature Strategy, performance indicators, complaints data, the capital programme, revenue budget monitoring, and the investment fund. The committee approved the work programme for the 2025/26 municipal year.

Here's a more detailed breakdown of the key discussion points:

Homes Strategy Consultation

The committee considered the draft Homes Strategy¹, which aims to provide high-quality, safe, secure, and sustainable housing for all residents. The strategy focuses on building new homes, improving existing housing standards to achieve net zero carbon, and meeting the needs of an ageing population.

The draft strategy sets a high-level vision to provide high quality homes in attractive places across all tenures; meeting the housing needs of residents and ensuring access to safe, secure, comfortable and sustainable housing for all. There are also three associated objectives which are set out below and a number of actions which we aim to achieve over the next five years. These actions are summarised in Appendix 1 of the strategy:

• Objective 1: Building homes, with an emphasis on affordable and social homes, to meet local needs;
• Objective 2: Improving the standards of existing housing, achieving net zero carbon and revitalising neighbourhoods;
• Objective 3: Meeting the needs of our ageing population and supporting people to live independently.

The committee was asked to provide formal comments as part of the ongoing consultation.

Climate Change and Nature Strategy

The committee reviewed the draft joint Climate Change and Nature Restoration Strategy², which combines the council's existing climate change emergency declaration with a new nature recovery emergency declaration made in May 2025. The strategy outlines principles for action in both areas, including reducing energy consumption, promoting renewable energy, improving habitat connectivity, and halting biodiversity decline.

The strategy sets out five principles to underpin climate change actions:

• Reduce overall energy consumption
• Reduce demand for fossil fuel-based energy
• Contribute to a greener grid
• Sequester carbon
• Adaptation

And five principles to underpin nature restoration commitments:

• Improve the connectivity of habitats
• Increase the resilience of natural environments
• Halt and reverse biodiversity decline
• Ensure all developments are designed for nature and climate
• Review environmental management practices on council-owned land

The committee was asked to approve the joint strategy.

Performance Indicators

The committee examined performance data for key indicators in the fourth quarter of 2024/25. Some key highlights:

• Culture: Weekly average footfall in the town centre increased from 237,731 to 271,764.
• Planning: The percentage of major planning applications decided within 13 weeks increased from 84.6% to 90.9%.
• Economic Growth: The monthly unemployment claimant count percentage improved from 4.24% to 4.03%.
• Human Resources: The number of working days lost due to sickness increased from 9.3 to 10.3 days per full-time equivalent (FTE).
• Complaints and Information Governance: The number of complaints upheld by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman/Housing Ombudsman decreased from 10 to 8, and the number of complaints upheld by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) decreased from 9 to 3.
• Housing and Revenues: The amount of Council Tax arrears collected decreased from £1,880,721 to £1,848,869.
• Environmental Health: 100% of food premises were inspected within the year they were due, up from 96.6%.

Complaints, Compliments and Comments

The committee reviewed the 2024/25 annual reports on complaints, compliments, and comments for various council departments, including Adult Social Care, Children's Social Care, Corporate services, Housing, and Public Health.

Key observations:

• The council received a total of 747 complaints, 219 compliments, and 45 comments during 2024/25.
• Adult Social Care saw a decrease in complaints and an increase in compliments.
• Children's Social Care saw a decrease in complaints at Stage 1 but an increase in complaints escalated to Stage 2.
• Corporate complaints increased, as did compliments, while comments decreased.
• Housing complaints increased, particularly at Stage 1, which was attributed to increased promotion of the complaints procedure and the launch of the Housing Ombudsman's Statutory Complaint Handling Code³.
• Public Health received a low number of representations.

The committee discussed examples of organisational learning resulting from complaints, such as additional training for social workers, updates to policies and procedures, and improvements to communication with residents.

Project Position Statement and Capital Programme Monitoring

The committee reviewed the Project Position Statement and Capital Programme Monitoring report for the first quarter of 2025/26. The projected outturn of the current Capital Programme is £354.868m against an approved programme of £354.982m. The report provided updates on the status of live construction projects, including the Skinnergate Re-development Housing and the Hopetown Darlington project, which were identified as having variances.

Revenue Budget Monitoring

The committee considered the Revenue Budget Monitoring report for the first quarter of 2025/26. The latest projections show an overall decline of £2.166m on the 2025-29 Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP). This is due to £3.489m of departmental pressures, a decline in corporate resources of £0.166m, offset by £1.489m of additional balances following the 2024/25 final outturn.

Investment Fund Update

The committee reviewed the annual update on the Investment Fund, which was established to generate greater returns through innovative investment opportunities. The fund is currently funding 11 schemes, including joint venture (JV) vehicles and economic regeneration initiatives. Returns on JV's are anticipated to be over £8.4m and three of the JV schemes have completed with the investment fully repaid and recycled back into the fund.

Work Programme

The committee approved the work programme for the 2025/26 municipal year, which includes regular monitoring of performance, the Medium-Term Financial Plan, the capital programme, and updates on key economic and strategic initiatives.