The Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Management Board of County Durham Council met on Monday 30 March 2026 to review the council's financial performance and strategic progress. Discussions were scheduled to cover the third quarter financial outturn for revenue and capital budgets, the council tax and business rates collection fund, and treasury management. The board was also set to review the action plan developed in response to the Corporate Peer Challenge and receive an update on the council's poverty strategy. Additionally, a performance management report for the third quarter of the 2025/26 financial year was scheduled for discussion, alongside an update on petitions received by the authority and a notice of key decisions.

Corporate Peer Challenge Action Plan

The board was scheduled to consider the action plan developed in response to the Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC) undertaken from 7 to 10 October 2025. This plan outlines the activities the council will undertake to address the recommendations made in the CPC Final Report. The report indicated that significant progress had already been made, with 92% of the 74 actions either complete or in progress. The action plan is structured around six key recommendations and 21 additional recommendations, covering areas such as embedding new council plan priorities, clarifying roles between political and officer leadership, strengthening partnerships, promoting social cohesion, reviewing the scrutiny function, and developing a comprehensive transformation programme to address the Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP) gap. The board was recommended to note the action plan, acknowledge the progress made, and agree to receive future reports on further progress and preparations for the LGA peer team's re-engagement in September 2026.

2025/26 Quarter Three Forecast Outturn for Revenue, Capital, Collection Fund and Treasury Management

The board was scheduled to examine the quarter three forecast outturn for the council's revenue and capital budgets, the collection fund for council tax and business rates, and treasury management for the 2025/26 financial year. The report presented to Cabinet on 18 March 2026 detailed a forecast underspend of £14.213 million against the General Fund Revenue Budget, largely attributed to one-off dividends from Newcastle International Airport. The Dedicated Schools Grant Centrally Retained Block showed a projected overspend of £18.899 million in the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) High Needs Block, increasing the accumulated deficit. The capital programme was forecast to total £227.838 million for 2025/26, with adjustments including the removal of budgets linked to the Milburngate Development. The report also provided an overview of the achievement of MTFP savings targets and the forecast use of reserves, noting that the General Reserve was projected to be £45.369 million at 31 March 2026, within the council's policy.

Chief Executive's Office – Quarter 3 December 2025: Forecast of Revenue and Capital Outturn 2025/26

The board was to receive an update on the forecast revenue and capital outturn budget position for the Chief Executive's Office (CEO) service grouping. Based on the position at the end of December 2025, the service was forecasting an underspend of £0.151 million (0.7%) against a revised budget of £22.082 million. The CEO capital budget for 2025/26 was £0.492 million, with £0.262 million spent by 31 December 2025. The report detailed variances within Corporate Affairs and Legal & Democratic Services, with the latter forecasting an overspend primarily due to coroner's service costs and barrister fees for childcare litigation, partially offset by underspends in employee costs.

Resources – Quarter 3 December 2025: Forecast of Revenue and Capital Outturn 2025/26

This agenda item was scheduled to provide details of the updated forecast revenue and capital outturn budget position for the Resources service grouping. The quarter three outturn position indicated a forecast underspend of £3.352 million (4.8%) against a revised budget of £70.020 million. The Resources capital budget for 2025/26 was £19.040 million, with £8.957 million spent by 31 December 2025. The report highlighted underspends across various areas within Resources, including Corporate Property and Land, Digital Services, and Procurement, Sales and Business Services, largely due to managed employee costs and vacant posts in anticipation of future MTFP savings.

Quarter Three, 2025/26 Performance Management Report

The board was scheduled to receive an update on the council's progress towards achieving the strategic ambitions and objectives set out in its Council Plan 2025-30. The report presented Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) focusing on trends, direction of travel, benchmarking, and performance against targets. Key performance messages were to be discussed across five strategic ambitions: Reforming the Council, Supercharging Our Economy, Building Better Communities, Caring For Our People, and A Practical Environmental Stewardship. Areas highlighted as going well included customer contact efficiency, apprenticeship uptake, recruitment activity, business support, cultural event impact, young people's participation in education, employment, or training, environmental cleanliness, broadband access, and housing benefit processing times. Issues being addressed included sickness absence, the timeliness of planning applications, early years development, and bus service punctuality.

Update in relation to Petitions

An update was scheduled on the status of various petitions received by the Authority, processed by democratic services in line with its petitions process. Since the last update, three new e-petitions had been submitted, with one rejected, one due to close, and one having received a response. No new paper petitions had been submitted. The report was to include a list detailing the current status of all active petitions.

Notice of Key Decisions

The board was to consider the latest published notice of key decisions scheduled to be made by the Executive up to July 2026. This notice complied with legal requirements for publication at least 28 clear days before a decision is taken, unless specific exception criteria are met. The notice detailed the matters for decision, the decision-makers, the timeframe for decisions, and relevant background documents.

The meeting was scheduled to take place on Monday 30 March 2026. The information provided is based on the scheduled agenda and does not reflect any discussions or decisions that may have taken place during the meeting. The information status of the meeting was PENDINGCOUNCILPUBLICATION, meaning that while the agenda was available, the official minutes or outcomes of the meeting had not yet been published by the council.