The Corporate Finance and Performance Overview and Scrutiny Committee were scheduled to meet to discuss governance arrangements, digital inclusion, customer service and the council's performance. The meeting was due to include questions from members to cabinet members, and a review of the minutes from the meeting held on 15 July 2025¹.

Council Performance Report

The committee was scheduled to review the Council Performance Report Q1, which provided an overview of performance between 1 April and 30 June 2025. The report noted that a new Council Plan for 2026-2030 was being developed, based on a new set of priorities announced at a cabinet meeting on 30 July 2025. Key points from the report included:

• A forecast revenue overspend of £3.4m, driven by the costs of children's social care.
• A capital programme underspend of £15.4m, primarily due to the discontinuation of the Camelford bypass proposal.
• Progress in housing delivery, community wellbeing, and environmental innovation.
• Challenges in temporary accommodation, care workforce sufficiency and education exclusions.

The report also included summaries of performance in each directorate:

• Sustainable Growth and Place: Noted strong delivery in housing, nature recovery, economic development and road safety. Highlighted that 833 households remained in emergency or temporary housing.
• Community Wellbeing: Noted the formation of the new directorate in July 2025, and the development of a 'Safer Summer Plan'.
• Customer and Corporate Services: Noted positive customer service performance, and that 91.75% of queries raised through the Casework Assist system were responded to within agreed timescales.
• Safe and Caring Communities: Noted that a draft Care Quality Commission assessment report of Adult Social Care was expected in September. Highlighted concerns that immigration reforms have ended overseas recruitment for care workers.
• Together for Families: Noted that primary school exclusions have risen, and that the service was working with schools to understand the root causes.

The report also included summaries of performance of the Council Owned Entities, including:

• Cormac: Reported a net profit in Q1 of £1.38m, exceeding the target of £0.85m.
• Corserv Care: Reported a loss of £0.22m in Q1, against a target of £0.09m profit.
• Cornwall Airport: The operating subsidy for Q1 was £1.47m, meeting the target exactly.
• Corserv Facilities: Reported a loss of £0.67m in Q1, slightly below the target of -£0.65m.
• Cornwall Housing: Q1 average for voids relet was 61 days, compared to a target of 40 days.
• Celtic Sea Power: In Q1, performance reached 40% against a total target for the year of 100%.
• Treveth: Q1 saw 25 property completions against a full-year target of 129.

The committee was asked to determine whether any further actions were required in respect of any particular performance concerns.

CornwALL Connected Digital Inclusion Strategy

The committee was scheduled to consider the CornwALL Connected Digital Inclusion Strategy 2025–2030, with comments to be fed back to the Portfolio Holder for Tourism, Localism and Planning. The strategy, detailed in the Digital Inclusion Strategy 2025 to 2030 - Appendix 1 document, set out how the council aimed to improve digital access, skills, confidence and services, with the vision that:

By 2030, everyone in Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly has the opportunity, confidence and support to be digitally included – with access to the right tools, skills and connections to thrive in life, work and community. Digital inclusion in Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly is not just about getting online, it's about making sure no one is left behind'.

The strategy was based on four strategic outcomes:

• Everywhere connected
• Everyone connected
• Everything connected
• For the future

The Digital Inclusion Strategy 2025 to 2030 - Report stated that if the council was successful in removing the barriers to digital inclusion, the benefits would be felt by everyone. It was claimed that digital inclusion could help over 40,000 residents feel more connected with friends and family, use online tools to better manage their health, and access better opportunities for learning or employment. It was also claimed that improving digital skills for life has a potential to add £117 million to the Cornish economy.

The committee was also asked to consider if it would like to explore any aspect of the strategy in more detail as part of its work programme.

Our Customer Philosophy 2025 – 2030

The committee was scheduled to consider the Our Customer Philosophy 2025 – 2030, with comments to be fed back to the Leader of the Council, Councillor Leigh Frost, for consideration. The Customer Philosophy 2025 to 2030 - Report stated that the updated philosophy confirmed the new administration's commitment to a continued focus on providing the best possible customer experience to the council's customers and service users. The philosophy sought to find a balance between continuing to invest in digital services whilst also providing traditional services to those customers who are unable to use digital. The Customer Philosophy 2025 to 2030 - Appendix 1 document stated that when they think of Cornwall Council, customers and service users should be able to recognise that interacting with it is:

• Reliable
• Easy
• Accessible
• Community focussed
• Caring
• Trustworthy

The Customer Philosophy 2025 to 2030 - Report stated that the philosophy sought to:

• Be a modern customer focused council
• Utilise the right technology to make the customer experience better – a Digital by Default approach and accessible to all
• Reduce the operational costs of our customer service
• Listen to our customers and make changes
• Support our customers to make use of digital
• Make sure customers are informed
• Ensure the council embed a culture of continuous improvement across the organisation

The committee was also asked to consider if it would like to explore any aspect of the philosophy in more detail as part of its work programme.

Review of Governance Arrangements and Protocol for Council Owned Entities

The committee was scheduled to review proposed changes to Article 21, Governance Arrangements of Council Owned Entities, and the Protocol for Governance Arrangements of Council Owned Entities. The Review of Article 21 Governance Arrangements of Council owned Entities - Report stated that Article 21 and the Protocol were implemented in January and February 2020, and that a review was necessary due to updated guidance emerging during 2022 and 2023, and to reflect on the operation of the Council Owned Entities since 2020.

The report noted that at a meeting on 18 June 2025, the Leader of the Council, Councillor Leigh Frost, requested that a governance review be undertaken of the relationship between the council and the Council Owned Entities in order to provide stronger democratic accountability.

The key outcomes from a task and finish group set up to conduct the review were:

• Ensuring effective governance and oversight
• Financial assurance and value for money
• Better ethical conduct and management of conflicts of interest
• Improved performance and accountability
• Greater strategic direction and public benefit
• Updated Articles of Association, Members Agreements and Reserved Matters.

The committee was asked to consider the proposed changes to Article 21 and the Protocol, detailed in the Review of Article 21 Governance Arrangements of Council owned Entities - Appendix 1 tracked changes and Review of Article 21 Governance Arrangements of Council owned Entities - Appendix 2 tracked changes documents, and to make any comments to the Constitution and Governance Committee.

The committee was also asked to consider making recommendations to the Constitution and Governance Committee in respect of approving the Protocol and Article, and in respect of providing delegated authority to the Head of Commercial Assurance to make amends to the Protocol.

Questions from Members to Cabinet Members

The committee was scheduled to receive updates from Councillor Leigh Frost, Leader of the Council, Councillor Adam Paynter, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Resources, Councillor Tim Dwelly, Portfolio Holder for Economic Regeneration and Investment, and Councillor Thalia Marrington, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Public Health.

Councillor Leigh Frost's update included the following points:

• Feedback on committee recommendations to cabinet relating to his portfolio.
• Raising awareness of potential items and/or performance issues that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee may wish to consider for its work programme.
• Areas of focus including upcoming decisions regarding off-street parking, Newquay to London air services, the Cornwall Council Plan 2026-2030, the Council Performance Report 2025/26, Langarth Garden Village, the Customer Philosophy 2025-2030, the Digital inclusion Strategy 2025-2030, the Council Financial Strategy, and exemptions from contract procedure rules.

Councillor Adam Paynter's update included the following points:

• Feedback on committee recommendations to cabinet relating to his portfolio.
• Raising awareness of potential items and/or performance issues that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee may wish to consider for its work programme.
• Areas of focus including upcoming decisions regarding the Cornwall Council Plan 2026-2030, the Council Performance Report 2025/26, Langarth Garden Village, the Customer Philosophy 2025-2030, the Digital inclusion Strategy 2025-2030, the Council Financial Strategy, a review of the Member Development Strategy, the External Audit Findings Report – Cornwall Pension Fund 2024/25, the Internal Audit Exception Report, the Risk Update Report, the Interim Auditor's Annual Report for 2024/25, the Audit Progress Update and Sector Briefing, Council Procedure Rule 4.2.2 – Allocation of Substitutes, and the Independent Remuneration Panel: Review of Members Allowances.

Councillor Tim Dwelly's update included the following points:

• Updates relevant to upcoming items on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme
• Feedback on Committee recommendations to Cabinet relating to his Portfolio and/or recommendations to him in his individual decision-making capacity
• Raising awareness of potential items and/or performance issues that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee may wish to consider for its work programme
• Areas of focus including upcoming decisions regarding Cornwall Airport Newquay, and the rationalisation and release of various farmhouses.

Councillor Thalia Marrington's update included the following points:

• Updates relevant to the Committee's work programme item on the Task and Finish Inquiry on the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy.
• Feedback on Committee recommendations to Cabinet relating to her Portfolio and/or recommendations to her in her individual decision-making capacity
• Raising awareness of potential items and/or performance issues that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee may wish to consider for its work programme
• Areas of focus including gaining an understanding of equality policies and considering the impact of changes to existing national policy and legislation.

Public Questions

The agenda allowed for a fifteen minute period for questions from members of the public. Questions were required to be received by the Monitoring Officer, Paul Grant, by 12 noon on Thursday, 9 October 2025.