Agenda item

Recommendations

That the Executive

(i) notes the forecast outturn position against the 2025/26 Revenue

Budget, as summarised in paragraph 2.2.1.

(ii) notes the position on reserves in Section 2.5

(iii) notes the position on the Council’s Treasury Management activities

during the second quarter of 2025/26

(iv) refers this report to the Audit Committee for their consideration as part

of the overall monitoring arrangements for Treasury Management.

(v) approves the refreshed Capital Plan summarised at paragraph 4.2.3

Considered – A joint report of the Chief Executive and Corporate Director Resources bringing together key aspects of the Council’s performance on a quarterly basis.

The Executive Member for Corporate Services, Councillor Heather Phillips, introduced the report which covered the period 1 April 2025 to 30 June 2025 and drew Members’ attention to the following:

·         This was a new Council Plan for 2025 to 2029 with a new format and five new Council ambitions, which were:

o   Thriving Places and Empowered Communities

o   Sustainable and Connected Places

o   Safe, Healthy and Living Well

o   Maximise the Potential

o   One Council.

·         A new feature included monthly reporting on the Landlord Service, reflecting its ongoing development

·         Key performance highlights for the quarter included:

­   Increase in museum and cultural hub visits, following resolution of issues at certain venues.

­   Strong performance in highways services.

­   Lowest level of referrals to children’s social care in two years.

­   Growth in reablement packages, providing more support to individuals.

­   Improved timeliness of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).

·         Areas of concern noted included homelessness, child protection plans, short-term bed-based placements and an increase in permanent school exclusions

The Leader welcomed Members of Scrutiny Board to the meeting, including Councillor Sam Gibbs who was attending his first meeting as Chair of the Housing and Leisure Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  In response to questions to Executive Members from Scrutiny Chairs and Member Champions the following was confirmed:

Thriving Places and Empowered Communities

·         It was confirmed that improved cultural venues had contributed to increased town centre footfall, although a slight dip in visitor numbers during the quarter was attributed to warm weather.

·         Homelessness challenges were reported to be consistent across the county, with a new strategy due in September.  Actions underway included partnership working, data use, and investment in temporary and supported accommodation.

·         The integration of the Young Person’s Pathway had improved planning and support for care leavers through closer collaboration between children’s and adult services.

·         Planning performance had exceeded national targets despite staffing shortages.  Future reports were expected to include enforcement metrics, with improvements already underway in previously underperforming areas.

·         Average re-let times for council housing remained high due to refurbishment needs, but the number of voids was decreasing and the Executive Member reaffirmed the Council’s commitment to not letting substandard properties.

Sustainable and Connected Places

·         Issues were reported with the implementation of new waste collection rounds, particularly in the Harrogate area, though staff had adapted well to the four-day week and lessons had been learned to improve future rollouts.  Additional operational changes had been introduced across the waste service, including the end of task-and-finish, standardised start/finish times, depot-based working, and strengthened management practices, all aimed at delivering a consistent service countywide.

·         A significant increase in fly-tipping incidents was noted, with no clear local cause identified.  A new fixed penalty notice policy and enforcement strategy were being developed to address the issue more robustly.

·         It was confirmed that national trends and seasonal factors, such as lighter evenings and dry weather, may have contributed to the rise in fly-tipping, and additional resources were being considered to support enforcement.

·         Performance against the two-hour response target for dangerous highway defects had been affected by data entry issues, adverse weather, and fluctuating demand, though corrective measures and proactive inspections were in place.

·         The target to repudiate 80% of highway claims was explained as a performance benchmark rather than a financial goal, with ongoing work to improve analysis of claim outcomes to understand why claims had been conceded to and reduce network defects.

Safe, Healthy and Living Well

·         Multi-Agency Screening Team (MAST) contacts had increased while referrals to children’s social care had declined, suggesting increased public awareness was leading to a rise in reports of concerns. 

·         The assessment timeliness had worsened, however this was unusual and was being monitored.

·         The number of child protection plans had continued to rise and remained above national and statistical neighbour averages; work was underway to ensure thresholds were applied appropriately and to reduce reliance on child protection interventions where possible.  A variety of outcomes were reported for MAST contacts not resulting in referrals, including advice, signposting, and early help, with a significant proportion driven by increased police reporting.

·         The Growing Up in North Yorkshire survey revealed that 12% of pupils reported being victims of violence and 8% had carried weapons; while concerning, the local incidence of knife crime remained low and the data was used to inform targeted school interventions. 

·         Increased hospital discharge rates since COVID had placed significant pressure on social care services, requiring careful balancing of support between discharged patients and those already in the community, with reablement playing a key role in maintaining independence.  It was noted that current discharge volumes were now treated as the norm, despite the lack of corresponding funding, creating financial strain on services.

·         Concerns were raised about high summer temperatures in care homes; the issue was acknowledged and had been referred to the quality team for monitoring and future reporting.

Maximise Potential

·         The timeliness of Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) assessments had significantly improved, with June showing the best performance in four years and a notable reduction in the backlog, now exceeding 70% completion, which was well above the national average.  The increase in in-house educational psychologists had enabled the Council to begin targeted preventative work with schools, particularly in areas previously affected by high exclusion rates.

·         The rise in permanent exclusions among primary school children was noted as a concern, though numbers remained relatively low and spread across schools.  Targeted support and preventative interventions were being developed to assist schools in managing complex behaviours.  Officers confirmed that exclusion patterns varied year to year, with no consistent clustering, and that schools with high exclusion rates were being challenged and supported to improve practices.  The overall strong performance and proactive measures being taken in areas requiring improvement were noted.

Revenue Budget, Treasury Management and Capital Plan

The Executive Member for Finance and Resources, Gareth Dadd, introduced each section of the report, and reported an overspend of £5m at the end of Quarter 1.  There was a forecasted overspend of £10.4m in Children and Young People’s Service, which reflected national issues.  Without action the Council would use £57m of reserves by March 2028.  It was noted that North Yorkshire Highways had delivered some efficiencies and rebates, which was welcomed.  Executive were also requested to agree a recommendation in relation to moving funding to support projects on the coast.

Resolved

That the Executive

(i)            notes the forecast outturn position against the 2025/26 Revenue Budget, as summarised in paragraph 2.2.1.

(ii)           notes the position on reserves in Section 2.5

(iii)          notes the position on the Council’s Treasury Management activities during the second quarter of 2025/26

(iv)          refers this report to the Audit Committee for their consideration as part of the overall monitoring arrangements for Treasury Management

(v)           approves the refreshed Capital Plan summarised at paragraph 4.2.3

(Unanimous)

(vi)          approve virement of Capital Development Reserve funding from the Borough Wide Public Realm legacy scheme to (i) Whitby Old Town Hall (£177k) and (ii) Sprucing Up Scarborough (£150k) summarised at paragraph 4.4.2

(Unanimous)