The Overview and Scrutiny Committee met to discuss the Fit for Future Programme, the use of AI to improve performance, and the Committee's work programme. The Committee requested further information on the Fit for Future Programme, and agreed to add the Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessment to their work programme. They also agreed to amend several scheduled dates and to write again to the Chief Executive of Lancashire County Council regarding flooding.

Fit for Future Programme

The Committee requested further information on the Fit for Future (FFTF) Programme, including monitoring, milestones, and outcomes of individual projects, service implications, efficiencies and savings to date for each project, specific information on the City Council's commercial activities such as Williamson Park and Salt Ayre Leisure Centre cafes, and an update on the Waste Collection Policy Implementation Group.

The Chief Officer – People and Policy, Alex Kinch, and the Projects and Performance Manager, Claire Dubelbeis, provided an overview of the FFTF programme, which is now in Phase 2, having commenced in June 2025 with 13 new projects. Phase 1 started in May 2024 and contains 13 projects, many of which are ongoing.

The Committee was informed that the majority of the work is resourced from within existing service provision, with the exception of two business analysts. Benefits Review Plans are in place for all Phase 1 projects and are being created for the new Phase 2 projects, to show the potential benefits and measures for each project.

Use of AI to Improve Performance

The Committee noted an update on the Copilot project, which is currently being trialled by the Council. Microsoft 365 Copilot is an AI-driven assistant integrated into the Microsoft 365 suite, created to boost productivity and support better decision-making. The trial included up to 150 users from the Council's Leadership Team, Cabinet Members and staff volunteers to evaluate Copilot's impact. Workshops for Copilot Studio would take place for interested departments and two teams would be selected for deep Dives sessions to help determine where Copilot can best be used. The project will be evaluated to assess benefits and lessons learned by 2026.

Questions were raised over the accuracy of AI, environmental concerns including data centres, offsetting risks and shared learning.

Work Programme

The Committee agreed to add the outcome of the recent Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessment¹ to the Committee's Work Programme, with representatives from Lancashire County Council invited to report to a future meeting. All other members of Council will be invited to attend to allow them all to be briefed.

It was further agreed that the following scheduled dates of the Committee were amended:

• 15th October move to 22nd October 2025
• 26th November move to 19th November 2025
• 2nd April move to 1st April 2026

It was also agreed to write again to the Chief Executive of Lancashire County Council regarding flooding, in particular the Lancaster City Surface Water Management Plan, as no response had been received. It was also agreed that a letter be sent to the relevant County Council Cabinet Member.

The Committee considered an update regarding health and safety, specifically violence and aggressive behaviour against staff and Councillors. The Council's Senior Corporate Health and Safety Manager informed the Committee that improvements were needed as part of the corporate security review. The following Policy and Guidance have recently been drafted and approved:

• Conflict at Work for Officers
• Conflict Guidance for Councillors

The Committee was asked whether it still wishes this item to be on its Work Programme and, if so, the information it wishes to scrutinise.

Forthcoming Key Decisions and City Council Commissioned Consultations

The Committee noted the forthcoming key decisions and city council commissioned consultations.