Agenda item

RECOMMENDATION:

That the Scrutiny Committee raises with the Deputy Leader or relevant Cabinet member any issues arising from the information in this report, ref CAB 3441, which is being presented to Cabinet on the 14 March 2024 and considers whether there are any items of significance to resolve or to be drawn to the attention of Cabinet.

The Chairperson advised that it had, regretfully been necessary to cancel the meeting of the Performance Panel, scheduled for 26 February 2024. Therefore, the Committee would undertake the scrutiny review of the Q3 Finance & Performance Monitoring report at this meeting.

Councillor Neil Cutler, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Performance introduced the report, ref CAB 3441 which set out proposals for the Q3 Finance & Performance Monitoring Report, (available here). The introduction included the following points.

1.    He referred to the strategic priorities of the Council, detailed in Appendix 1, and gave an overview of its plans and objectives.

2.    A financial update covering both revenue and capital for the general fund and the housing revenue account up to the end of December, as shown in Appendix 3.

3.    The latest data against the strategic performance indicators and update on progress of the Council's Tier 1 programmes and projects.

4.    New data regarding fly-tipping.

Councillor Danny Lee addressed the committee and highlighted the following points.

1.    He appreciated the progress and support during the cost of living crisis but expressed concern over the closure of the Bishop Waltham Citizens Advice Bureau office, particularly for vulnerable and elderly individuals.

2.    He noted the district's high uptake for the Hampshire County Council Solar Together initiative and sought clarification regarding the rollout of Electric Vehicle Charging Points and the necessity for more local electric vehicle infrastructure. He suggested a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) to measure this.

3.    He sought clarification regarding the differing building retrofit standards and raised questions regarding accredited build standards stipulated for council homes.

4.    He suggested the establishment of KPIs to ensure new homes achieved value for money in terms of energy efficiency and environmental impact standards. Additionally, the need for recording and publishing total carbon energy savings for new and retrofitted homes.

5.    He proposed further qualitative and quantitative data to inform the delivery of carbon emission reduction targets.

6.    He raised specific questions regarding TCE7 and TCE9 in Appendix 4, page 96.

7.    He sought clarification regarding the nature emergency target and recommendations for increasing carbon sequestration aligned with nature emergency targets, as shown on pages 118-119.

Councillor Neil Bolton addressed the committee and highlighted the following points.

1.    He sought clarification on how carbon credits were generated in the South Downs National Park amidst the felling of trees due to Ash die back.

2.    He queried the scheme mentioned on page 59, regarding carbon assessments for businesses, including the number of assessments conducted by the end of 2023 and plans for 2024.

3.    On page 60, he sought further information regarding the solution officers had devised for tenants' storage issues post-retrofitting loft insulation and the associated costs.

4.    He sought clarification on whether retrofit works were exclusively carried out on void properties, as mentioned on page 60.

5.    Re page 71, he sought clarification regarding the costs of constructing six Passivhaus properties and how value for money would be determined for this project.

6.    He welcomed the reduction in fly-tipping instances and the effectiveness of prosecutions but felt that residents' experience in rural wards did not reflect these improvements.

7.    He suggested the incorporation of additional statistics such as business confidence, economic growth, and consumer spending to provide a fuller picture of Winchester's economic status.

8.    Regarding KPIs for the planning service, he recommended a review to ensure they reflect the full planning management process.

9.    He made a general point regarding the relevance and measurement of KPIs and suggested a review to ensure they accurately reflected performance and prompted necessary corrective actions.

These points were responded to by Laura Taylor, Chief Executive, Councillor Kelsie Learney, Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency, Councillor Martin Tod, Leader and Cabinet Member for Asset Management, Councillor Neil Cutler, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Performance.

The committee was asked to raise with the Deputy Leader or relevant Cabinet member any issues arising from the information in this report, ref CAB 3441, which was being presented to Cabinet on 14 March 2024 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.    Questions were raised regarding the effectiveness of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in terraced housing areas and the consideration of rapidly evolving charging technologies.

2.    Ensuring loft insulation initiatives are tenant-friendly and exploring alternative storage solutions to address tenant concerns about lost storage space.

3.    Standards for new house builds and how these align with net-zero objectives, including cost assessments and outcomes of using specific building standards like Passivhaus.

4.    Clarification was sought on strategies to support businesses in rural areas of the district and measures to bolster the rural economy.

5.    Discussion on maintaining investment in homes to meet net-zero standards without compromising financial viability.

6.    Questions regarding the King George V Pavilion, specifically operational expenditure, and comprehensive project appraisal before commitment.

7.    Discussion on the Northern Park and Ride initiative and alternative options for enhancing the transportation infrastructure in the northern part of the district.

8.    Clarification was sought on actions being taken to improve the status of the LW5 indicator.

9.    Further information was requested regarding the resolution of complaints within the stipulated timeframes, particularly the efforts to address complaints not resolved within 10 working days.

10.Questions were raised regarding potential actions in relation to timelines and delivery speeds relating to strategic projects, in particular the Central Winchester Regeneration (CWR).

11.The overspending of the Disabled Facilities Grants (DFG) was raised, and the available funds to cover the expenditure for such beneficial work.

12.Clarification was sought concerning the governance in managing major projects, specifically whether the council was pushing hard enough for timely delivery while being mindful of the high standards of governance and public law compliance.

13.Further clarification was requested on the progress of the Local Plan including future scrutiny arrangements before its final approval.

These points were responded to by Laura Taylor, Chief Executive, Councillor Kelsie Learney, Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency, Councillor Martin Tod, Leader and Cabinet Member for Asset Management, Councillor Neil Cutler, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Performance, Councillor Chris Westwood, Cabinet Member for Housing, Simon Hendey, Strategic Director and Liz Keys, Chief Finance Officer & S151 officer accordingly.

RESOLVED:

1.    The committee recognized the need for additional training regarding scrutiny and performance monitoring relating to evaluating council performance and outcomes and requested this be made available.

2.    The committee agreed to ask the Cabinet Member:

a)    To consider the issues raised regarding the Citizens Advice Bureau office in Bishops Waltham particularly the impact on service provision to vulnerable residents.

b)    To confirm the previous commitment to include the fly-tipping cleanup rate as a Key Performance Indicator for future monitoring reports for 2024/5 onwards.

c)    To consider a review of the current set of KPIs be undertaken, in consultation with the Cabinet Member and Officers to ensure they reflect the council's priorities effectively. This review should also consider any suggestions made by Councillors during the meeting.

d)    That the information/report regarding the Rural Economy referred to in the meeting be shared with the Committee.

e)    To consider separating certain planning application types within the report, for example, Householder Applications.

f)      To consider if the report could more accurately reflect timelines and projections.

g)    To clarify the future workflow for Regulation 19 Local Plan, including member engagement.

h)    That officers follow up and respond regarding the question on Disabled Facilities Grants.

i)      That officers follow up and respond regarding the question concerning actions required relating to KPI reference, LW5.