The Policy & Resources Committee of West Lancashire Council met on 24 September 2025, and among the decisions made, the committee agreed to recommend to the council the reallocation of General Revenue Account (GRA) capital resources, and approved a revised Leaseholder Policy and Housing Conditions Claims Policy. The committee also discussed budget monitoring, capital projects, treasury management, and the council's priorities delivery plan.

Refuse Collection Delays

Councillor Gareth Dowling, Deputy Leader of the Council; and Lead Member: Planning & Community Safety, raised concerns about the summer's refuse collection delays and cancellations, seeking transparency on the causes, the effectiveness of the recovery plan, and actions to prevent recurrence. He also wanted to know why councillors and the public were not informed of the issue sooner.

During the discussion, the committee raised questions and comments on:

• The use of overtime compared to increased resources
• Changes to overtime policies
• Comparative sick rates
• Awareness of risk
• Route optimisation
• Financial cost
• Consideration of compensation
• Timeline of issues and public communications
• Lessons learnt

Councillor Dowling said that a report to the next Policy & Resources Committee meeting would be appropriate and that he intended to submit this item again.

The committee resolved to note the issue raised.

Capital Programme Review

Councillor Mark Anderson, Lead Member: Finance, presented a report regarding the capital programme review, which included the 2024/25 slippage and a recommendation to reallocate resources.

Councillor Adrian Owens, Leader of Our West Lancashire (OWL), declared he was against the recommendations due to concerns regarding ICT and Waste Collection schemes.

The committee resolved to recommend to the council the change in slippage figure for 2024-25, and the reallocation of GRA capital resources.

Leaseholder and Housing Condition Claims Policies

Councillor Nicola Pryce-Roberts, Lead Member: Housing, introduced a report seeking approval for a revised Leaseholder Policy and Housing Conditions Claims Policy.

The committee resolved to:

• Approve the Leaseholder Policy.
• Approve the Housing Conditions Claims Policy.
• Delegate authority to the Director of Housing and Environment to review and update the policies in accordance with evolving best practice and legislation, to improve housing quality, meet legal and regulatory updates, and support sustainability goals.

The Leasehold Housing Management Policy outlines West Lancashire Borough Council's approach to managing housing leaseholder properties, and the services it provides, including how it collects and raises service charges and how it ensures it offers quality and value for money.

The Housing Conditions Claims Policy sets out the council's approach to ensuring that it keeps its homes free from hazards and poor housing conditions by prompt identification and proactive resolution implementation. It also details how the council will investigate housing condition claims promptly and resolve claims quickly and effectively to improve customer satisfaction and avoid the need for court action.

Council Priorities Delivery Plan

Councillor Anderson presented the report of the Assistant Director of Corporate and Customer Services, as contained on pages 89-114 of the Book of Reports, which presented performance monitoring data for the quarter ending 30 June 2025.

During the discussion, the committee agreed to include waste bin collection rates as a percentage, and information as to how that percentage is determined, in future reports. Discussion also took place in relation to council tax collection rates.

The committee resolved to note the council's performance for the quarter ending 30 June 2025 and to include waste bin collection rates as a percentage and information as to how that percentage is determined, in future reports.

The Council Priorities Delivery Plan (CPDP) aligns key performance indicators and key actions to the four council priorities. It contains a number of longer-term deliverables whilst having a natural focus on work during 2025/26.

Anti-Money Laundering Policy

Councillor Anderson introduced the report of the Chief Legal and Democratic Services Officer, as contained in the Public reports pack, which presented the results of a review of the council's Anti-Money Laundering Policy.

The committee resolved to approve the council's Anti-Money Laundering Policy.

The aim of the Anti-Money Laundering Policy is to set out the council's position with regards to accepting large cash transactions and the procedure that will be followed should there be concerns regarding the legitimacy of funds.

Other Matters

• The committee noted the GRA Q1 Budget Monitoring, as introduced by Councillor Anderson.
• The committee noted the 2025-26 Q1 GRA Capital Report, as introduced by Councillor Anderson.
• The committee noted the Treasury Management activity and Prudential Indicators performance for Quarter 1 2025-26, as introduced by Councillor Anderson.
• The committee noted the HRA Q1 Budget Monitoring - Revenue & Capital, as introduced by Councillor Pryce-Roberts.