The Overview and Scrutiny Committee – Services of Guildford Council is scheduled to meet to discuss a range of topics, including a review of overview and scrutiny arrangements, performance monitoring, the Safer Guildford Partnership annual report, and the committee's work programme. A significant focus of the meeting is expected to be on the proposed changes to the overview and scrutiny arrangements, including the creation of a joint committee with Waverley Borough Council. The committee will also review the performance monitoring report for the first quarter of 2025/26, and the Safer Guildford Partnership annual report for 2024-2025.

Review of Overview and Scrutiny Arrangements

The committee is scheduled to discuss a report outlining proposals for a joint Guildford and Waverley Borough Councils Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The aim of this committee would be to provide joint oversight and scrutiny of the governance of shared services as part of the collaboration between the two councils.

The report suggests dissolving the existing two Overview and Scrutiny Committees at each council and replacing them with one Overview and Scrutiny Committee and one Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee between Guildford and Waverley Borough Councils.

The proposed numerical allocation of seats to political groups on both councils in respect of the members to be appointed to the new Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee, and the proposed numerical allocation of seats to political groups on the new Overview and Scrutiny Committee in respect of both councils, are as follows:

Guildford Borough Council

Waverley Borough Council

The report notes that the Joint Governance Committee agreed to recommend that any shared services be governed by additional joint committees between Guildford Borough Council and Waverley Borough Council and agreed in principle with the creation of a new Joint Executive Committee (JEC) and a new Joint Overview & Scrutiny Committee (JOSC).

The report states that there was general approval of the need for a Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee to provide oversight and scrutiny of the work of the Joint Executive Committee in respect of the determination of all matters relating to Executive functions of the Councils' shared services.

The report also includes the proposed terms of reference of the new Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the terms of reference of the proposed new Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

A suggested timeline for these proposals, together with other proposed joint governance arrangements, is set out in the Timeline Revised Joint Governance Arrangements document. The Current Gov Arrangements for Shared Services and Proposed Gov Arrangements Shared Services documents are also included for discussion. The Draft ToR New OS Committee and Draft ToR New Joint OS Committee documents are also included for discussion.

Performance Monitoring Report 2025/26 (Quarter 1)

The committee is scheduled to review the Corporate Performance rpt Q1 25-26 for the first quarter of 2025/26. The report provides an overview of the council's performance against its corporate indicators (KPIs).

The Performance report Q1 202526 Appendix 1 details 38 KPIs, 3 of which are annual KPIs, with the remainder being quarterly. Three of these KPIs are red rated (off target and outside of tolerance):

• SUST 1 – Recycling performance
• INC 1 – Processing of new housing benefit claims
• HOMES 4 – Number of new homes

The report also provides information on a number of other key performance indicators, including:

• Missed bins
• Priority Habitat improvement, restoration and creation
• Air quality
• Fly tipping
• Economic activity in the borough
• Development Management performance
• Town Centre footfall
• Commercial property vacancy rates
• Attendance at leisure facilities in the borough
• Attendance at G Live
• Attendance at heritage facilities in the borough
• Safeguarding
• Community safety
• Housing repairs completed on time
• Council housing voids
• Affordable housing delivery
• Homelessness outcomes
• Temporary accommodation
• Emergency B&B accommodation
• Housing rents
• Housing compliance
• Council Tax collection
• Business rates collection
• Debt collection
• Invoices paid on time
• Contract management and procurement
• Staff sickness absence
• Staff turnover
• Complaints
• Call wait times
• FOI response times
• Reduction in the council's Carbon Footprint
• Voluntary and community sector grants
• Decent Homes Standard
• Tenant satisfaction with the council as their landlord
• Tenant satisfaction with their council home
• Level of reserves
• Customer and resident satisfaction with the council

Safer Guildford Partnership Annual Report 2024-2025 and Partnership Plan

The committee is scheduled to review the Safer Guildford Partnership Annual Report 2025 and Partnership Plan.

The report sets out the annual activities of the Safer Guildford Partnership (SGP) during 2024-2025 and presents the refreshed draft SGP Partnership Plan 2025-2028.

The report provides an update and overview of collaborative working between the Guildford and Waverley Community Safety Partnerships.

The activities, achievements, and challenges of the SGP are summarised throughout the report, and the committee are asked to comment and provide observations or recommendations on the SGP Partnership Plan 2025-2028, to be considered by the responsible authorities of the SGP.

The report also includes the GBC WBC CSP Executive TORs Roles Responsibilities Ma document.

The Safer Guildford Partnership priorities 2021-24 featured in the Safer Guildford Partnership Plan 2021-2024 were to:

• raise awareness of Domestic Abuse and the support available
• reduce and prevent community harm
• protect people from serious harm such as terrorism, organised crime and youth violence
• raise awareness of the community support available to those facing community safety issues
• assist in the local Coronavirus (Covid 19) response to vulnerable people

These have been reviewed and improved to mirror the priorities of the Safer Waverley Community Safety Partnership.

The draft SGP Partnership Plan 2025-2028 set out in Appendix 1 represents the CSP's updated and refreshed rolling three-year plan. It sets out how the partnership will ensure it meets its current and updated statutory duties and functions. It takes a proportionate and measured approach to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour in Guildford. This was approved by the Joint Guildford & Waverley Community Safety Partnerships Executive in July 2025.

The key priorities are

• Community Harm and Anti-Social Behaviour
• Domestic Abuse & Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)
• Hate Crime and Community Cohesion
• Focus on the crimes and community safety issues that most affect Guildford to maximise a response through partnership working

The refreshed SGP Partnership Plan 2025-2028 includes the addition of two new and enhanced areas:

• The Domestic Abuse priority will now include specific locally delivered actions to address violence against women and girls (VAWG). This will draw on the findings of the recent Surrey VAWG Needs Assessment and will require local partners to work together to consider what it can achieve locally in support of Surrey VAWG Strategy.
• Hate Crime and Community Cohesion has been added as a priority to support the local delivery of Surrey's first Hate Crime and Community Cohesion Strategy and action plan which will be developed from a recent Needs Assessment to understand the scope and prevalence of hate crime in Surrey. It is recognised that hate crime is often hidden in anti-social behaviour and there are links between hate crime and extremism. In contrast, where there are cohesive communities, this can play a significant role in preventing hate crime by fostering trust and understanding between different groups, making it less likely for individuals to engage in hatemotivated actions.

Work Programme

The committee will consider and agree its work plan, as detailed in the OS work plan document. The OS work plan document details the following scheduled items:

• Careline
• Resolving Leasehold arrangements with affordable housing providers Policy
• Air Quality Action Plan
• O&S Review of the Council's Heritage Service
• Performance Monitoring Report 2025-26 (Quarter 2)
• Improvement Plan Update
• Report on Outcome of Inspection of Housing Repair works
• Performance Monitoring Report 2025-26 (Quarter 3)

The OS work plan document also details the following unscheduled / potential items:

• An annual report on Safeguarding Children and Adults at Risk Community Services – The Hive
• Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2024-25
• North Downs Housing Options Report
• Treasury Management Report
• Guildford & Waverley Transformation & Collaboration Programme
• Draft Communications Strategy 2024-25
• Spend on consultants and agency workers, 2023-24
• Procurement Report, for the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
• Implementation of modern slavery policy, for the year ending 31 March 2024
• Affordable Housing

The OS work plan document also details the remits of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee – Resources and Overview and Scrutiny Committee – Services, and the Executive Areas of Responsibility.