The Scrutiny Committee of East Devon Council met on 2nd October 2025 to discuss agency and consultant expenditure, and to review their work programme. The committee was also scheduled to review the Cabinet's forward plan of key decisions.

Finance Report: Agency and Consultant Expenditure for 2023/2024 and 2024/2025

The committee was scheduled to review a report on agency and consultant expenditure for the financial years 2023/2024 and 2024/2025. The report, which was last presented to the Scrutiny Committee on 24 January 2024, included comparative data from 2022/2023.

The report stated that expenditure within the council is carefully managed and monitored to ensure it is incurred only when necessary, including to:

• Provide coverage for staff absences
• Supplement capacity when permanent recruitment is not feasible
• Acquire additional skills and expertise on a temporary basis

The report noted that the employment of agency workers and consultants differs across directorates, accounting for approximately 16% of the council's total workforce, and that procedures are followed to regulate spending and allocate resources where required.

The report also commended the work undertaken within the Housing and Health Directorate to reduce the reliance on agency staff and improve the stability of the service through the recruitment of permanent staff.

The report included tables showing agency expenditure by directorate, and consultancy expenditure by directorate, broken down by quarter.

The report also detailed measures in place to manage the spend of agency workers and consultants:

1. The policy on the use of Temporary Workers aligns with the recruitment policy and considers the Council's objectives as well as a guide for managers in engaging temporary staff that supports the Council's policy for hiring temps, agency workers and consultants.
2. Agency workers are sourced through the Council's approved Commensura Recruitment framework. If suitable candidates are not available, managers may use other agencies while adhering to financial and procurement regulations and consulting Finance or Devon County Council Procurement Services as required. Agency expenditure outside the Comensura Contract averaged approximately £278,000 per quarter for 2023/2024 and 2024/2025, which is a 121% increase compared to 2022/23. Commentary by directorate is provided in Appendix 1. Directorates are listed according to the current organisational structure, but prior year expenditure may not directly align with these service areas.
3. Agency workers and consultants are used to fill positions temporarily, cover increased workloads, or provide specialised skills until permanent staff are appointed. This helps the council maintain service delivery when recruiting certain roles is difficult.
4. Agency and consultancy expenditures are reviewed monthly by Accountancy in conjunction with the Executive Leadership Team. These meetings provide an opportunity for ELT to constructively evaluate and challenge all spending activities.

The report included commentary from each of the directorates.

The Chief Executive directorate noted that agency expenditure has remained consistently low, and that consultancy expenditure was incurred in 2024 due to a vacant post for Senior Communications Officer.

The Finance directorate noted that the main reason for hire in 2024 is due to the need to cover a vacancy for the Performance and Data Analyst role within the Revenue and Benefits Support Team.

The Governance directorate noted that an Experienced Property Solicitor was required for both knowledge/experience purposes and team capacity reasons, and that the majority of the work undertaken is capital related.

The Housing & Health directorate noted that agency spend went from £351,260 in 2022, to £893,369 in 2024, primarily due to a large number of Management and Senior Leadership positions becoming vacant in the team in 2023.

The Place directorate noted that £280k is spent annually on StreetScene agency staff that help deal with seasonal trends, and that temporary agency staff in Development Management helped manage a large number of planning applications.

The report recommended that the committee record the expenditure details for Agency and Consultants Expenditure in 2023/2024 and 2024/2025.

Work Programme 2025-26

The committee was scheduled to review its work programme for 2025-26.

The following topics were listed for scoping and/or allocation to the Work Programme:

• Report on consultancy and agency spend 2023-24
• Joint meeting with Overview Committee to consider Directorate Plans for 2026-27
• Joint budget meeting with Overview Committee
• UKSPF[^2] evaluation update report [^2]: The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is a central pillar of the UK government’s levelling up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025.
• Climate change report: update on progress with the climate change action plan 2020-2040
• Report on the impact of the ban on the use of glyphosate[^3] [^3]: Glyphosate is a herbicide.
• Invitation to Community Safety Partnership Councillor representative to update the Committee, with a focus on current priorities for the Partnership, including update on anti-social behaviour.

The following topics had dates to be confirmed with lead Officers:

• Exmouth Motorhome Parking – Overnight stopovers
• Highways
• Portfolio Holder reports
• Correspondence regarding Scrutiny Committee topics

Cabinet Forward Plan 1 October 2025 - 31 January 2026

The committee was scheduled to review the Cabinet's forward plan of key decisions for the period 1 October 2025 to 31 January 2026.

The plan included the following key decisions:

• Towards Zero Carbon Development in the West End: Interconnector Project Final Investment Decision
• Use of Climate Change Budget to support Green Loans to Householders
• Air Quality/Contaminated Land Strategies
• Anti-Poverty Strategy
• Place and Prosperity Fund acquisition
• Formation of an Exmouth Town and Seafront Subgroup
• Council Depots Review
• Exmouth Town Hall
• Site Acquisition
• Hayne Lane Masterplan
• Strategic Development Review – Exeter Science Park Limited
• Public Toilets Review
• Housing Strategy
• Harepath Road, Seaton
• Dog Control Enforcement Policy
• Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy
• Community Grant funding
• Cranbrook Leisure - Review and approval of the project scope for Cranbrook Leisure together with approval of a budgetary envelope for delivery of the capital works.
• Additional in year revenue budget request to cover increased bridge inspection costs.
• Climate Change Strategy
• Public Space Protection Orders
• Asset acquisition in Exmouth
• Recycling &Waste LATCo governance and financial proposal
• Update re Management Funding for Clyst Meadows Country Park
• EDDC Local Nature Recovery Plan
• Exmouth BMP Update
• Supported Housing Services
• Procurement of CBRE through the Crown Commercial Services Framework to undertake work in relation to the second new community
• Colyford Road and Fosse Way Viability Assessment
• Cloakham Lawns Employment Site Viability Assessment
• Exmouth Town and Seafront Placemaking Plan Adoption
• Delivery Vehicle for Second New Community
• Percy Wakley Woods Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace

The plan also included the following Key Officer/Portfolio Holder Decisions:

• Sale of Workshop Site, Exmouth
• Individual property: external and internal repairs and refurbishment
• Procurement Support from Devon County Council – renew 5-year SLA
• Household Support Fund – Determining groups for targeted support
• Sewerage Treatment Plant Replacement Programme 2025/26
• Bathroom Adaptations to 20 properties
• Bathroom Adaptations to properties ED0322-24
• Structural Repairs & Refurbishment – 33, 35 & 37 Underleys, Beer
• Refurbishment of Flats, Langford Avenue, Honiton
• Refurbishment of 4no. Blocks of Flats, Arcot Park, Sidmouth
• Refurbishment & Extension of 1 School Lane, Newton Poppleford
• Internal Adaptations to various properties
• LAD 1 Completion – Heating & Fabric Upgrades
• Upgrade of Peazen Flats, Beer
• Internal Adaptations Q2-25
• Sidmouth and East Beach BMP – Approval to enter design and construction contracts
• Recycling and Waste: - MRF/Baling Plant Refurbishment/Site Compliance - vehicle refurbishment programme
• Seaton Wetlands southern expansion and habitat creation project – HLF bid over £100K
• East Devon National Landscape HLF Open Programmes bid for Landscape Connections project