The Scrutiny Board met to discuss the annual scrutiny report, the performance and budget monitoring report, the forward plan, and the scrutiny work programme. The board approved the Scrutiny Annual Report - May 2024 - May 2025, and agreed to the Scrutiny Work Programme 2025-2026 and You said, we did briefing note - September 2025 .

Scrutiny Annual Report

Councillor Philip Bateman MBE, Chair of Scrutiny Board, presented the Scrutiny Annual Report - May 2024 - May 2025, highlighting the work of the Night-Time Economy Task and Finish Group, chaired by Councillor Jane Francis, and the Flood Risk Preparation and Response Group, which he chaired. He noted that both groups' recommendations were accepted by both the Scrutiny Board and the cabinet.

Councillor Philip Bateman also praised the Youth Council's contributions and noted the board would review their annual report later in the year. He further acknowledged the positive feedback from the Local Government Association (LGA) Peer Review regarding the council's scrutiny functions.

A member of the board praised the annual report as giving an insightful view as Scrutiny being a key strategic tool for the Council and said that she saw Scrutiny's role as shaping Council policy. The Scrutiny Team Leader gave examples of where recommendations from scrutiny had helped to shape policy, citing recommendations made on children's oral health, the night time economy, and flooding.

The Board approved the Scrutiny Annual Report, referring it to the Full Council.

Our Future Council: Performance and Budget Monitoring - Quarter 1 and 2026- 2027 Budget Update

The board received a presentation from Alison Shannon, Deputy Director of Finance, Luke Dabin-Williams, Head of Finance, and Raeesa Mohammed, Service Manager – Data and Analytics, regarding the Our Future Council: Performance and Budget Monitoring - Quarter 1 and 2026- 2027 Budget Update.

A member of the Scrutiny Board requested a breakdown of the £50,000 spent on Yo! Active¹ activities, and Alison Shannon agreed to circulate a written response with the details.

Another board member inquired whether any of the £1 million allocated from the Housing Revenue Business Account Reserve for stock condition surveys was being used for repairs, to which Alison Shannon clarified that the funds were solely for accelerating the surveys. Mark Taylor, Deputy Chief Executive, added that £3 million would ultimately be needed to fund the surveys, which were to be completed by the end of March 2027.

A member asked what the current percentage of completed surveys was, what issues had been found, and whether it needed to be added to the risk register. Officers agreed to circulate the latest figures to board members.

Another member asked when the new Councillor Support Digital system would be in place. The Deputy Director responded that he was due to share an update with Councillor Simon Bennett and would share the update with all the board members as soon as it was ready.

A member asked how the council was determining what skills businesses required in the city. Raeesa Mohammed responded that the council had access to a Labour Market Reporting System that looked at all the job postings in the city to identify the key skills employers were asking for, and that she would be able to circulate a monthly report to board members. Mark Taylor added that the city had an Education, Skills and Employment Board with representatives from partners, employers, skill providers, and educators, and that the board also received their own local intelligence and tried to triangulate the information across the city.

A member asked what steps the council was taking to help businesses across the city, and officers promised an email response.

Another member asked what a house survey actually covered, and the Deputy Chief Executive endeavoured to provide a written response with the specification of a house survey.

A member asked how often housing surveys were completed in the past before the new regulations, expressing concern that significant issues would be found when undertaking the surveys. The Deputy Chief Executive responded that the information would be provided in a written response, and that the regulations did not previously stipulate how surveys should be undertaken.

A member asked why the risk rating for cyber security had not increased given the recent cyber attacks on companies such as Jaguar Land Rover. The Deputy Chief Executive responded that there were dedicated officers who looked after cyber security for the council, and that the council also had accreditations and external support. Based on the support, guidance, and resources available, they believed the risk should remain at an overall score of 12. There was a discussion about some of the steps the council had taken to help prevent a cyber attack.

Forward Plan of Key Decisions

A board member commented that he was particularly interested in asset disposals. The Scrutiny Team Leader responded that a report on asset disposals had been considered at the last meeting of the Resources and Equalities Scrutiny Panel, and that the Annual Return on Disposals report was due at the November meeting of the Resources and Equality Scrutiny Panel. The Scrutiny Team Leader offered to circulate the November report to Scrutiny Board members.

The board noted the Forward Plan of Key Decisions.

Scrutiny Work Programme and You Said, We Did

The board agreed to the Scrutiny Work Programme 2025-2026 and You said, we did briefing note - September 2025 .