To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies had been received from Cllr Dave Davies and Cllr Liz Harvey.

To receive details of members nominated to attend the meeting in place of a member of the board.

There had been no named substitutes.

To receive declarations of interests from members of the board in respect of items on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive the minutes of the meeting held on 1 July 2025.

The minutes of the previous meeting were received.

Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 1 July 2025 be confirmed as a correct record and be signed by the Chairperson.

To receive any written questions from members of the public.

There had been no questions received from members of the public.

To receive any written questions from councillors.

There had been no questions received from councillors.

To review performance for Quarter 2 (Q2) 2025/26 and to report the performance position across all Directorates for this period.

The Chair took the report as read and invited discussion on the item. The key points of the debate are detailed below:

1. Members questioned the activity-focused red, amber, green, (RAG) approach; officers acknowledged outcomes were mainly assessed at year end and would welcome recommendations to strengthen outcomes-based reporting.

2. Inconsistencies were identified regarding publication and delays of the Nutrient Management Plan; officers agreed to clarify the position after the meeting.

3. Concerns were raised about slippage and cost control across property assets; officers explained that a full audit of the Council’s property portfolio had been commissioned, with briefings to Cabinet planned.

4. The committee heard from officers that the current property review was limited to Council-owned assets, though the potential use of partner-owned buildings was acknowledged as a future consideration.

5. Members requested clearer, cumulative visual presentation of quarterly RAG data; officers agreed to explore improved reporting formats.

6. Delays in capital delivery were confirmed to impact revenue budgets; alternative provision remained a high-risk priority linked to the DSG deficit and was under close monitoring.

7. Increased rough sleeping was attributed to seasonal fluctuation, individuals from outside the county and those without recourse to public funds; the Council continued to support accommodation options while respecting personal choice.

8. Members highlighted disconnects between delivery milestones and capital re-profiling; officers acknowledged limitations in current reporting and welcomed recommendations for improvement.

To report the forecast position for 2025/26 at Quarter 2 (September 2025), including explanation and analysis of the drivers for the material budget variances, and to outline current and planned recovery activity to reduce the forecast overspend.

The Chair took the report as read and opened the item for debate. The key points of the discussion included:

Community Wellbeing – Adult Social Care

1. Members questioned the drivers of increased Adult Social Care cost pressures. Officers explained that pressures arose from: sustained hospital discharge demand, post-COVID loss of independence, increased numbers of self-funders falling below the financial threshold, longer residential care stays and changes to continuing healthcare (CHC) eligibility, with mitigations including strengthened front-door controls, prevention, commissioning improvements and closer monitoring of high-cost packages.

2. The committee asked how hospital activity had contributed to pressures. Officers advised that consistently high hospital occupancy had generated exceptional discharge demand during the year, with post-COVID impacts resulting in higher support needs on discharge, creating pressures that exceeded reasonable forecasting assumptions.

3. Members queried the impact of increased longevity without improved health. Officers confirmed that people were living longer with complex needs, leading to longer care packages and extended residential stays, significantly increasing cumulative costs.

4. The committee enquired about the financial impact of self-funders falling below the threshold. Officers advised that rising living costs had increased the number of people requiring Council support, creating unplanned and difficult-to-predict budget pressures.

5. Members sought clarification on changes to continuing healthcare eligibility. Officers confirmed that a local ICB policy change now limited continuing healthcare funding to health elements only, transferring greater financial responsibility to the Council.

6. Members asked how the Council was challenging continuing healthcare decisions. Officers explained that continuing healthcare case management had been centralised to improve consistency and challenge, with cases progressing through formal dispute processes and escalation through regional adult social care networks.

7. Members asked about political engagement with the Integrated Care Board. The Leader confirmed that senior-level discussions were ongoing, with the issue being raised through the Health and Wellbeing Board and further input from council members was welcomed.

Managing Demand, Prevention, and Commissioning

8. The committee enquired about what actions were being taken to manage demand at first contact. Officers described enhanced front-door arrangements focused on understanding need, preventing escalation into long-term care and increasing use of alternative community-based support.

9. Members queried how the Council was working with the voluntary and community sector. Officers advised that alternative commissioning models were being explored to support preventative and community-led provision and reduce reliance on traditional care models.

10. Members asked why domiciliary care costs remained relatively stable. Officers advised that framework-based purchasing with fixed rates had limited inflationary impact, resulting in modest cost growth despite increased activity.

11. The committee queried why residential care costs continued to rise. Officers confirmed that longer lengths of stay and increased provider prices were driving the pressure, making residential care the largest cost driver.

12. Members asked how reliance on spot purchasing was being addressed. Officers confirmed that work was underway to develop more strategic commissioning arrangements, including block contracts and longer-term provider relationships.

13. A member asked about the role of ‘CareCubed’. Officers advised that the tool provided fair-cost benchmarking based on local conditions and would support evidence-based negotiations with providers.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 147.

1. The committee reviewed scrutiny work programmes across all committees to identify emerging priorities, gaps and opportunities for coordination. Members emphasised the importance of aligning scrutiny activity to areas of highest risk, financial pressure and strategic importance, while avoiding duplication.

2. Key pressures identified included home-to-school transport, alternative provision, and the forthcoming Ofsted inspection, which was expected to significantly shape the Children and Young People Scrutiny work programme. Alternative provision was highlighted as an urgent priority requiring further scrutiny.

3. The individual committee Chair’s outlined major planned work, including scrutiny of tourism and destination management, broadband connectivity, and a structured review of the capital programme during the “year of delivery”, with planned midpoint and end-year scrutiny. Emerging areas included potential task and finish work on flood risk, resilience and recovery, and continued scrutiny of land use and land management, given their wide-ranging environmental and infrastructure impacts.

4. Progress updates were provided on task and finish groups, including the establishment of adult social care scrutiny, ongoing work on commercialisation, and the Inequality task and finish group, which had narrowed its focus to economic inequality and the lived experience of residents.

5. Members highlighted the importance of effective community engagement, particularly in relation to future housing growth and the Local Plan, and noted potential future work on strengthening partnership working with the voluntary sector and social value in procurement.

6. The committee discussed future scrutiny of health system pressures, including the Integrated Care Board, and noted the potential need for a briefing or scrutiny following the government funding settlement once its implications were understood.

7. The committee noted the significant volume of scrutiny activity underway and agreed that continued coordination between committees would be essential to ensure focus on priority issues and effective use of scrutiny capacity.

Friday 23 January 2026, 10pm

Friday 23 January 2026, 10am