The Performance, Governance and Audit Committee met to discuss corporate performance and risk, and to review several policies and funding statements. The committee endorsed a revised Planning Appeals Protocol for inclusion in the Council's Constitution, and acknowledged updates on the UK Shared and Rural England Prosperity Funds. They also reviewed accident and incident statistics, and progress on key health and safety themes.

S106 Obligations and Infrastructure Funding Statement

The committee approved the Maldon District Council Infrastructure Funding Statement (IFS) for the financial year 2024/25, as detailed in S106 Obligations and Infrastructure Funding Statement 2024-25. The report provided an update on the monitoring of Section 106¹ planning obligations. As of 31 March 2025, the council expected £1,469,017.53 to be paid by developers for infrastructure requirements. The report detailed funds received and spent during the financial year:

The report also detailed the types of funding, the amounts received, spent and the closing balance, as well as the amount left to remit.

Planning Appeals Protocol

The committee endorsed a revised and strengthened version of the Planning Appeals Protocol and adopted it for inclusion in the Council's Constitution, as detailed in Council Constitution - Planning Appeals Protocol. The Overview and Scrutiny Committee recommended strengthening the protocol to clarify the role of nominated members and the position of planning officers defending committee decisions that contradict their professional opinion. The revised protocol, included as Appendix A, aims to address these issues and raise the profile of nominated member involvement in the appeal process.

UK Shared and Rural England Prosperity Funds

The committee acknowledged the update provided on Maldon District's UK Shared and Rural England Prosperity Fund allocations for 2025/26, as detailed in UK Shared and Rural England Prosperity Funds. The report updated members on the progress of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) for the allocation period 2025/26. The Chancellor confirmed the continuation of UKSPF for a further year in the Autumn Budget 2024. The council approved proposed projects to be delivered, and the council submitted its forecast spend, outputs and outcomes for 25/26 to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Of the £783,369 available budget, £98,408.37 of actual spend had been incurred. Updates on individual project progress are contained within Appendix 1.

Corporate Performance - Quarter 1

The committee reviewed the Corporate Performance - Quarter 1 report, which provided an overview of the corporate plan performance as of the end of Quarter 1 (April – June 2025). The report noted that all indicators have been classified into groupings to give further definition as to the type of indicator (Measure V Deliverable) and the responsibility that Maldon Council has over the performance trajectory (Control V Influence). The report highlighted that overall work is progressing positively for all priorities, and the performance delivery of the corporate plan is on-track, with some conditional elements identified which are not currently a concern. The committee was asked to confirm they were assured that corporate performance was being managed effectively.

Review of Corporate Risk - Quarter 1

The committee reviewed the Review of Corporate Risk - Quarter 1 report, which provided a summary and detailed table of the Corporate Risk Register, the latest ratings and officer commentary. The report noted that in June 2025, the Corporate Risk Policy was refreshed and adopted, including simplifying the document, setting a target risk score and a corporate response to each risk. The report recommended closing Risk 11, Uncertainty of the cost of living crisis impacts, due to increased national economic certainty. The committee was asked to confirm they were assured that corporate risk was being managed effectively and to challenge risk where the Committee feels that the Council's corporate goals may not be achieved.

Annual Governance Statement Actions Update

The committee reviewed the Annual Governance Statement Actions Update report, which provided an update on the actions identified in the Annual Governance Statement (AGS). The report noted that the AGS in its current format was approved by the Performance, Governance and Audit Committee (PGA) on 10 June 2021. The Action Plan is held on the Council's SharePoint system and updated by responsible officers. The Actions Highlighted in Grey have been previously reported as completed. The committee was asked to review the Annual Governance Statements table and updates below and challenges where necessary.

Balance Scorecard Exemptions Report

The committee reviewed the Balance Scorecard Exemptions Report, which reported exceptions to operational service reporting for committee review and discussion. The report noted that services have been monitoring performance data, and officers have centralised this into an internal 'Balance Scorecard' that is reviewed monthly by the Extended Leadership Team to operationally track our performance. The following indicators were exceptions in the last report but have since been removed due to performance now being back on target:

• Number of food hygiene inspections outstanding
• Invoices within 30 days
• Two Service monthly reporting compliance (Commercial and Assets, Coast & Countryside)

The committee was asked to review and comment on exceptions to service reporting provided in this report, note the additional performance in Appendix 1, and confirm they are assured through this review that Operational performance is being managed effectively.

Health and Safety Update - Quarter One 2025 / 26

The committee considered the Health and Safety Update - Quarter One 2025-26 report, which provided an update on Health and Safety (H&S) statistics and activity during Quarter One (1 April to 30 June). There were three accidents and incidents, one near miss and three hazards reported during Q1. There were three incidents of unacceptable behaviour reported, all via the telephone. The committee was asked to consider the accident and incident statistics and incidences of unacceptable behaviour reported, and progress of key health and safety themes.