Councillor Ian Blades

...budget virements exceeding £250,000 were approved for both the revenue budget and the Capital Programme, new schemes and additions to existing schemes were approved for the Capital Programme totaling £0.519m, and the Council's financial performance and forecast year-end financial outturns for 2025/26 were noted, highlighting a potential £1.804m revenue budget pressure.

... the Executive approved the Middlesbrough Domestic Abuse Strategy 2025-2028 and its proposed commissioning recommendations, with procurement to begin in 2025/26, to fulfill statutory duties under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

... the council tax base for the whole of Middlesbrough area for 2026/27 was approved as 37,062.20, and the council tax bases for the parishes of Nunthorpe and Stainton & Thornton for 2026/27 were approved as 2,408.72 and 1,530.35, respectively.

...to address a limited burial plot supply, the Executive approved a £0.277m virement from the Derisking Sites scheme to fund additional costs for the Thorntree extension and endorsed proposals for short, medium, and long-term burial provision, noting the current status of burial plots in Thorntree and Acklam Cemetery.

...it approved an action plan to address empty properties in response to recommendations from the Place Scrutiny Panel, while noting the resource demands and cross-departmental collaboration required.