The Overview & Scrutiny Committee of Hertfordshire Council met on Wednesday 15 October 2025 to discuss the proposed arrangements for the 2026/27 budget scrutiny and to review the scrutiny work programme for 2025-26. The committee agreed to a revised, two-day format for budget scrutiny, incorporating feedback from the previous year, and approved additions and amendments to the scrutiny work programme, including specific topics for future discussion.

Budget Scrutiny Programme 2026/27

The committee discussed and agreed the proposed programme for the 2026 budget scrutiny. A key change welcomed by members was the return to a two-day format for evidence gathering, a move away from the challenging one-day approach of the previous year. The revised programme will involve Cabinet Panels conducting deep dive examinations of their respective portfolio budgets in January and early February 2026. The Head of Scrutiny, Tim Parlow, will attend these meetings to summarise debates and recommendations, which will then be considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) during its evidence gathering sessions.

The OSC will hold two evidence gathering days after the Cabinet Panel meetings. The first will focus on the reports from the portfolio sessions, while the second will adopt a more strategic view of the council's overall financial position, including the medium-term strategy, council tax strategy, assumptions and risks within the budget, reserves strategy, and capital and investment strategies. This approach aims to address concerns raised about the previous year's process, ensuring more in-depth exploration of budget details and strategic financial planning.

Concerns were raised regarding the involvement of non-councillor members of the OSC, such as Parent Governor Representatives, in the Cabinet Panel meetings. It was proposed that these members be invited to join the Education, SEND and Inclusion Cabinet Panel meetings to ensure their input on education-related budgets. The revised approach necessitates adjustments to the council's meeting calendar to sequence Cabinet Panel meetings before the OSC evidence gathering days.

Scrutiny Work Programme 2025-26

The committee reviewed and updated its scrutiny work programme for 2025-26. Members agreed that two substantive items could be considered at each committee meeting, and that two scrutiny reviews could be accommodated within the year.

Several items were added or confirmed for future discussion:

• Effectiveness of mobile phone bans in Hertfordshire schools: This topic was agreed for discussion at the December 2025 meeting. It was noted that inviting heads of schools and representatives from Herts for Learning would be beneficial to support implementation and ensure parents and carers understood the rationale behind any recommendations.
• HCC staffing update – performance and productivity: This item is scheduled for the April 2026 meeting. It was suggested that this topic could be paired with a discussion on the HCC - Use of AI in council services for a more comprehensive review.
• Infrastructure delivery, planning enforcement and sustainable transport: A scrutiny review was agreed for this broad topic. Within this review, a deeper insight into sustainable transport, including buses and infrastructure investment, will be explored, particularly in light of changing government franchising rules.
• Education Health & Care Plans (EHCPs) process: While concerns were raised about the EHCP process and frequent complaints from residents, members noted that a recent agenda item had been considered by the Impact of Scrutiny Advisory Committee. It was also questioned whether this topic would be appropriate given the government's ongoing review of SEND policy. The Head of Scrutiny suggested that a proposal could be developed once the results of current inspections were available.

Members were reminded of the availability of scrutiny proposal forms, both within the agenda pack and on the council's website, encouraging them and Hertfordshire citizens to submit suggestions for future scrutiny topics.