Agenda item

Recommendations

That the Executive

       i.         notes the position on the Council’s Treasury Management activities during the third quarter of 2025/26.

     ii.         refers this report to the Audit Committee for their consideration as part of the overall monitoring arrangements for Treasury Management. 

    iii.         note the updated Q3 2025/26 Capital Plan.

    iv.         approve the allocation of £175k of Strategic Capacity Reserve to deliver the pay-on-entry technology to 15 public convenience sites pending approval of proposals to be presented to Executive (paragraph 4.2).

     v.         approve the extension to the repayment deadline for the existing Yorwaste loan to 27 March 2028 (paragraph 4.3).

    vi.         approve the extension to the term for the existing Bracewell Homes loan to 31 March 2036 (paragraph 4.4).

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

 viii.         approves up to £3.6m over a three year period to fund a programme of Prevention Plus as set out in section 2.6 and delegates authority to the Corporate Director, Resources in consultation with the Corporate Director, HAS and the Executive Members for Finance and HAS to reframe the approach including the overall funding (up to a maximum of £3.6m over three years) in the event that NHS partners do not provide sufficient contribution to the overall funding.

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 October 2024 to 31 December 2025 and highlighted improved performance of Allerton Park and good progress on the Housing Revenue Account.

The Leader welcomed Members of Scrutiny Board to the meeting, including Councillor Steve Shaw-Wright who was attending his first meeting as Chair of the Housing and Leisure Overview and Scrutiny Committee, and Councillor Caroline Goodrick who was attending her first meeting as Chair of Children and Families 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

·       The Executive Member for Culture, Arts and Housing referred to the new mobile library which had added 18 new stops to the existing 24, enabling visits to more villages and communities.

·       The Executive Member for Open to Business reported that 32 Town Investment Plans were scheduled for delivery during the year and that work had already commenced in 23 locations.

·       Vacancy rates in Scarborough and Malton – it was explained that vacancy levels in Scarborough and Malton were broadly in line with the national average.  The Council was exploring opportunities to acquire properties to support new business start?ups and was working to improve the vitality of high streets, noting that high streets were becoming places for social interaction rather than solely retail.

·       A separate response would be provided in relation to outreach, livestream and community project engagement numbers.

·       Households in temporary accommodation / homelessness prevention – it was confirmed that a range of preventative actions were being undertaken with landlords in order to reduce evictions wherever possible. Legislative changes would assist this work and the Council could provide rent payments or bonds when needed. Despite these efforts, numbers in temporary accommodation and continued to rise due to limited housing options and there was ongoing investment in the Council’s own temporary accommodation stock to increase capacity.

Sustainable and Connected Places

·       The Executive Member for Managing our Environment advised that the Council was progressing towards harmonising bin collections across the area, with Richmondshire scheduled later in the year, supporting the long?term aim of achieving one unified collection system across North Yorkshire.

·       Residual waste levels – In response to concerns about continuing high levels of residual waste, it was explained that a new waste strategy would be developed alongside renewed communications to encourage residents to place the correct materials in the correct bins. They confirmed participation in the BBC “bin day” campaign and joint work with the Rotters to improve public understanding of recycling requirements, with the aim of reducing residual waste as far as possible.

·       Waste to landfill – whilst landfill was used only as a last resort, temporary shutdown periods at the Allerton Park plant could necessitate it when alternative plants were unavailable as the Council sought to avoid simultaneous shutdowns across plants to ensure mutual spare capacity. Allerton Park generated enough energy to power 65,000 homes, although the strategic objective remained to reduce residual waste overall.

·       In response to a request for improved visibility of recycling performance, it was confirmed that a graph could be included showing recycling rates over time.

Safe, Healthy and Living Well

·       The Executive Member for Health and Adult Services explained that North Yorkshire had been a trailblazer in extra care housing for around two decades and had approved significant capital investment to progress to the next phase. He confirmed that work was underway to develop the next generation of extra care and supported living schemes, including issuing requests for information to the wider developer market, and that the evolving model would incorporate more provision for working?age adults where there was a known shortage of suitable accommodation.

·       Referrals to Children’s Social Care were beginning to fall, although challenges remained, and this was starting to have a beneficial knock?on effect throughout the service.

·       Numbers of looked after children – In response to a question about the rise in the number of children in care, it was confirmed that referrals had fallen by 12% compared with the same period in the previous year owing to strengthened practice in the Multi?Agency Screening Team (MAST). She explained that many children entering care in Q3 were part of sibling groups and that plans were in place to ensure help was offered at the lowest appropriate level. She added that child protection plans were beginning to come down and that North Yorkshire continued to have a comparatively low rate of 52 children per 10,000 population, against a national average of 74.

·       Stability of short?term placements – although short?term placement stability had improved to 13% in Q3, any repeat moves were concerning. Moves could occur while assessments were completed to identify the most suitable long?term family. She noted that foster care capacity had at times reached 99–100%, limiting flexibility, and confirmed that foster carer recruitment continued to be a priority.

·       Use of short?term beds – the reduction in use of short?term care beds, was predominantly the result of the Council’s own activity. The Council had set a target to reduce both the number and duration of short?term placements. The average length of stay remained high at around 16 weeks and that proactive work, particularly ensuring timely therapeutic support from NHS partners, was helping residents move on more quickly to appropriate long?term accommodation.

·       Healthy You Service – In response to a query about a statement noting that “no children” had completed the initial programme of support, officers clarified that referrals into the Healthy You pathway were still being developed.  Work was underway through the “Best Start in Life” and “Healthy Babies” programmes to improve early?years health and healthy lifestyle engagement.

·       Childhood obesity rates – In response to concern about rising obesity rates among 4–5?year?olds, it was highlighted that public health funding was increasingly directed towards prevention programmes with measurable outcomes. While it was difficult to attribute specific causes for rising obesity rates or to quantify the precise impact of national measures such as sugar reduction initiatives, focusing on targeted programmes with clear end points remained the most reliable way of assessing success.

·       Library Service – In response to a request for a breakdown of library usage by age and geographic area, it was confirmed that the matter would be referred to Overview and Scrutiny. Children aged 5–9 and 10–14 used libraries more than any other demographic and that this reflected strong engagement with reading challenges and promotional activities.

Maximise Potential

·       Timeliness of EHC Plans – the Executive Member reported that performance had risen from 8% of plans issued on time in January 2025 to over 80% in January 2026. This improvement had been achieved through a more structured approach to casework, increased availability and input from educational psychologists, timelier information, and robust monitoring at each stage of the EHC process to identify and resolve delays early.

·       Permanent exclusions – preventative support was available through commissioned places in Pupil Referral Units and that schools could also access alternative provision. It was confirmed that all excluded children must receive education by the sixth day and that consultation had taken place on extending PRU age ranges to respond to rising exclusions among younger pupils. SEND hubs continued to provide school?led support, with a developing focus on strengthening inclusion in mainstream schools and ensuring responses were tailored to each child’s individual circumstances.

·       CAMHS – In response to questions on pressures within CAMHS and their knock?on impact on wider council services, it was acknowledged that national recruitment and retention issues within CAMHS had affected performance and risked influencing parental decisions, including elective home education. The Council continued to work closely with health partners and monitored performance through regular partnership meetings.

·       Elective home education – In response to concerns that unmet needs might drive families toward elective home education, the Executive Member stated that the Council worked actively with schools and families to avoid unnecessary withdrawal. A suite of early help services, delivered in partnership with health colleagues, was available to support children and families and to help maintain school placements wherever possible.

One Council

·       Benefit processing times - it was noted that performance remained above local targets. It was explained that delays had largely resulted from the convergence of IT systems, including a six?week system outage over the summer, which created a backlog and staff had worked overtime to recover the position and processing times were now improving. Although local targets were not yet being met, performance was within the national target set by the DWP. Further detailed scrutiny of the issue was scheduled for March.

Revenue Budget, Treasury Management and Capital Plan

The Executive Member for Finance and Resources, Councillor Gareth Dadd, introduced each section of the report, and reported an overspend of £4.6m at the end of Quarter 3.  The overall position was £3m better than at outturn for Q2 although there had been a slight deterioration within Health and Adult Services and a further £2m deterioration in Children and Young People’s Services.  Members considered the recommendation relating to the Prevention Plus project, and the Executive Member for Health and Adult Services highlighted this as a positive endorsement of the directorate’s ability to deliver preventative work despite revenue pressures. He noted that the £3.6m investment over three years would progress key early?intervention initiatives, building on work with community anchor organisations to reduce demand for statutory services.

The Executive Member presented the Capital Plan and highlighted the proposed allocation of £175,000 for pay?on?entry technology at 15 public convenience sites, explaining that the inclusion of the sum in the report was not intended to pre?empt any future Executive decision but to ensure funding would be available promptly if required. Officers also noted the extension of two existing loans to Yorwaste and Bracewell Homes confirming that these were continuations of current arrangements rather than new facilities.

Resolved (unanimously)

That the Executive

(i)             notes the position on the Council’s Treasury Management activities during the third quarter of 2025/26.

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

(iii)           note the updated Q3 2025/26 Capital Plan.

(iv)           approve the allocation of £175k of Strategic Capacity Reserve to deliver the pay-on-entry technology to 15 public convenience sites pending approval of proposals to be presented to Executive (paragraph 4.2).

(v)            approve the extension to the repayment deadline for the existing Yorwaste loan to 27 March 2028 (paragraph 4.3).

(vi)           approve the extension to the term for the existing Bracewell Homes loan to 31 March 2036 (paragraph 4.4).

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

(viii)        approves up to £3.6m over a three year period to fund a programme of Prevention Plus as set out in section 2.6 and delegates authority to the Corporate Director, Resources in consultation with the Corporate Director, HAS and the Executive Members for Finance and HAS to reframe the approach including the overall funding (up to a maximum of £3.6m over three years) in the event that NHS partners do not provide sufficient contribution to the overall funding.