The Overview & Scrutiny Committee meeting scheduled for 18 March 2026 was set to cover a range of important council operations, including updates on the recovery from a significant cyber attack, the council's financial position, and the monitoring officer's duties. The committee was also scheduled to review the forward plan of key decisions and discuss its work programme for the upcoming municipal year.

Cyber Attack Recovery Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the ongoing work to recover from the cyber attack that the council experienced in November 2025. The report was expected to detail the progress made in rebuilding IT and cyber infrastructure and capabilities. It was noted that independent cyber security consultants, NCC Group, had completed a full inspection and review of the council's systems, providing attestation that the incident was contained. The update was also anticipated to cover the phased reopening of systems and infrastructure, with a target for full operational status by Summer 2026, and longer-term rebuild and transformation plans. The report highlighted that recovery efforts were prioritised based on resident and business impact, with remaining systems needing remediation relating to data management, reporting, system interfaces, and automated financial functions. The disruption caused by the attack was acknowledged, particularly in areas such as planning, land searches, revenue and benefits, and complaints, with efforts underway to address backlogs.

Monitoring Officer's Duties under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989

This report was intended to provide the committee with an overview of the Monitoring Officer's duties and powers concerning executive decisions, as outlined in the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. The discussion was prompted by a previous consideration of a report on the future of the Maxilla Hub, where the possibility of issuing a Section 5 report was discussed. The report was expected to explain the role of Section 5A of the Act, which mandates the monitoring officer to prepare a report to the executive if any proposal, decision, or omission appears to contravene any enactment or rule of law, or constitutes maladministration found by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

Quarter 3 Revenue and Capital Financial Monitoring Report 2025/26

The committee was scheduled to review the council's financial position at the end of the third quarter of the 2025/26 financial year. The report detailed the forecast revenue and capital budget outturn. For the General Fund revenue budget, a nil variance was forecast against a revised net budget of £219.165m. The Housing Revenue Account (HRA) budget also showed a forecast nil variance, with a budget transfer of £27k to the capital programme. The General Fund Capital Programme was forecasting a net underspend of £11.499m against a revised budget of £87.738m, and the HRA Capital Programme was forecasting a net underspend of £7.808m against a revised budget of £70.499m. The report also included information on the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) allocation. The impact of the cyber-attack on the financial position was noted, with services incurring additional indirect costs and potential impacts on income receipts. The report highlighted that the council was managing financial pressures within the overall budget envelope, a position noted as being achieved by a minority of councils.

The Forward Plan and Key Decision Tracker

This report was intended to provide the committee with an overview of upcoming key decisions and definitions, outlining the role of the Forward Plan in assisting scrutiny councillors with pre-decision scrutiny. The report explained the definition of a key decision according to both the Local Government Act 2000 and the council's constitution, which relates to significant expenditure, savings, or impact on communities. The Forward Plan itself lists upcoming key decisions, and the committee was asked to review this plan to identify any decisions requiring further scrutiny, either by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee or one of the select committees. The report also detailed the call-in process, which allows elected members to request a decision made by the executive to be revisited, and the urgency provisions that can bypass normal processes in exceptional circumstances.

Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme

The committee was scheduled to review the Annual Work Programme for 2025-26 and discuss suggestions for the Municipal Year 2026-27. The report summarised the topics that had been scrutinised during the current municipal year, including Grenfell-related matters, statutory scrutiny such as crime and disorder, transformation and savings initiatives, the council's budget and finance, the Oracle project, social investment, complaints, the Maxilla Hub, and the cyber attack. It also noted the work of the Budget Working Group and the outcomes of a workshop on the council's transformation programme. The report highlighted the importance of recommendations tracking and provided a summary of recommendations made between July and December 2025, indicating their acceptance status. Preparations for the upcoming municipal year, including induction for new councillors and planned workshops, were also outlined. The committee was asked to consider items for future meetings, including the annual crime and disorder scrutiny.