Issue - meetings

That the progress achieved during Q1 of 2025/26 be noted and the contents of report CAB3513 be endorsed.

Councillor Cutler introduced the report and highlighted that it had been discussed at Scrutiny Committee on 8 September where a number of points had been raised, including the following:

a)    That the fly-tipping performance be reviewed including reasons for the change in clear-up rate.

b)    That an update on trends from the annual staff travel survey be provided to all members.

c)    That the programme of works to achieve an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C for all council homes by 2030 be provided.

d)    That Cabinet consider the development of an integrated KPI relating to climate change and the allocation of additional resources to accelerate the delivery of Council Plan priorities.

In addition, a copy of the draft minutes of the Scrutiny Committee had been circulated to all those present at Cabinet.

At the invitation of the Leader, Councillors Lee and Horrill addressed Cabinet as summarised below.

Councillor Lee

Councillor Lee suggested the use of budget positive variances to accelerate small-scale solar projects on council assets and to explore community energy shared ownership, while also emphasising the need for robust methods to attribute carbon savings to specific Carbon Neutrality Action Plan (CNAP) actions.  He expressed concern that major regeneration projects, such as the Bar End Depot had been delayed and suggested a more integrated regeneration process could enhance marketability.   He suggested that positive variances could be strategically used to address existing project gaps and issues.

Councillor Horrill

Councillor Horrill sought a clearer understanding of progress and constraints regarding the Nutrient Mitigation Solution and shared concerns that the Bar End Depot regeneration project seemed stalled.   She questioned the Winchester Movement Strategy's focus, noting the absence of a planned park and ride, which she considered fundamental for traffic reduction.  She reiterated concerns expressed earlier in the meeting about the timely delivery of new homes and sought clarification on slow progress in achieving EPC C ratings.  Finally, she highlighted that Q1 staff vacancies were delaying housing major repairs stressing the importance of timely delivery for tenants.

Councillors Cutler, Learney, Tod, Reach and Cramoysan responded to the comments made, including advising that an update on the Bar End depot would be submitted to Cabinet shortly and noting that some of the comments had been raised already either at Scrutiny Committee or earlier in the meeting.   The Chief Executive also provided an update on the recent staff survey.

On behalf of Cabinet, Councillor Tod requested that the Chief Executive pass on its thanks to all staff for their work in achieving the outcomes outlined in the report.

Cabinet agreed to the following for the reasons set out in the report and outlined above.

RESOLVED:

That the progress achieved during Q1 of 2025/26 be noted and the contents of the report be endorsed.

RECOMMENDATION:

That the Scrutiny Committee raises with the Deputy Leader or relevant Cabinet member any issues arising from the information in this report, ref CAB3513, which is being presented to Cabinet on the 10 September 2025 and considers whether there are any items of significance to resolve or to be drawn to the attention of Cabinet.

Councillor Neil Cutler, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Transformation, introduced the report, ref CAB3513, Q1 Finance & Performance Monitoring. The introduction included the following points.

1.    The report was the first performance report of the 2025/26 financial year, covering the period from 1 April to 30 June 2025.

2.    The report focused on the progress and achievements made against the priorities of the new Council Plan.

3.    As requested by the committee the report format was the inclusion of historical trends for the Red, Amber, and Green status of projects and performance reports to provide better context.

4.    Several performance highlights were noted, including:

a.    The council was named the best District Council nationally for tackling climate change.

b.    The commencement of the food waste collection rollout in partnership with BIFFA.

c.     The start of construction for the new sports pavilion at River Park.

d.    The delivery of a green business support programme.

e.    The achievement of gold accreditation from the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance.

Councillor Danny Lee addressed the committee to highlight perceived gaps in the council's performance reporting. He proposed the introduction of an integrated Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for estate assets, greening, and climate resilience to cover pollinator-friendly planting, water efficiency, community biodiversity, and embodied carbon reporting. He asked the committee to recommend this to the Cabinet as a significant item for consideration.

Councillor Lee also requested that the committee identify areas requiring additional resources to accelerate the delivery of the Council Plan, suggesting that positive financial outturns could be used for this purpose. His suggestions included a number of matters, including improving carbon savings attribution, developing an overarching master plan for major regeneration projects to reduce risk, and addressing workforce capacity issues in housing compliance and maintenance.

In response, Councillor Neil Cutler, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Transformation, stated that the positive financial outturns were partly a result of project delays caused by a lack of available skills, and not a lack of funds.

The committee was asked to raise with the Deputy Leader or relevant Cabinet member any issues arising from the information in this report, ref CAB3513, which was being presented to Cabinet on 10 September 2025, and consider whether there are any items of significance to resolve or to be drawn to the attention of Cabinet.

The committee proceeded to ask questions and debate the report. In summary, the following matters were raised.

1.    It was reiterated that the basis of KPI targets would be included in the report.

2.    It was felt that there were inconsistencies between the carbon emissions targets on page 85 and the figures presented at an earlier Carbon Neutrality Open Forum. Clarification was sought regarding this and other perceived inconsistencies in environmental data when compared with figures from the previous quarter. provided.

3.    An explanation was sought for the decrease in the number of cleared fly-tips, while the clear-up rate had also slowed.

4.    A question was asked regarding the South Downs National  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9