Agenda and draft minutes

There were apologies from Cllr Combellack

Link to further information in the Council’s Constitution

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the previous meeting were considered.

Cllr Plant queried whether the action relating to the Warm Homes Grant had been circulated. Officers confirmed that responses had been issued by email but agreed to check and confirm.

The minutes of the meeting held on 24 February 2026 were approved and signed by the Chair.

Report of the Director – Finance and Corporate Services

The Senior Finance Business Partner presented the outturn position for 2025/26.

The Group was informed that the revenue position showed an efficiency of £2.682m, and the capital programme reported an underspend of £4.011m. It was noted that revenue efficiencies largely arose from investment income, unrequired contingency budgets, and efficiencies within Neighbourhoods, Development and Economic Growth. These were partially offset by reduced income, particularly in planning.

The Group noted that capital variances were mainly due to delays in projects, with the majority of underspends to be carried forward into 2026/27.

Councillors were advised that the favourable financial position would support future pressures, including Local Government Reorganisation, inflationary pressures and Simpler Recycling requirements. It was also noted that no external borrowing had been required during the financial year.

It was advised that the principal savings identified through the Transformation and Efficiency Plan had been achieved and exceeded. The main savings had been delivered through the renegotiation of leisure contracts, increased income from garden and waste collection charges, and higher income from car park charges. It was also noted that improved performance at Rushcliffe Oaks and Edwalton Golf Centre had made a positive contribution to the overall financial position, helping to exceed the anticipated savings target.

It was further noted that the Council had not needed to draw on reserves or undertake any external borrowing during the period. This reflected the strength of the Council’s financial management and the effectiveness of the savings and income-generation measures that had been implemented, helping to maintain a robust financial position while continuing to deliver services and key priorities.

In relation to performance, seven indicators had not met their targets. It was clarified that this was not unusual and no single overarching reason had been identified for the underperformance. It was noted that despite the significant increase in workload that officers have seen over recent years as a result of the pandemic, the cost of living crisis, the impact of conflict abroad, and more recently local government reorganisation colleagues are providing exceptional services to Rushcliffe residents achieving their targets in the remaining 50 indicators.

Members raised a number of queries, including:

• The reasons for underperformance of specific indicators
• The level of glass recycling achieved following the introduction of the scheme
• The use of the asylum dispersal grant and whether expenditure could be identified
• Recycling rate reductions and influencing factors such as weather conditions
• Budget efficiencies, particularly in relation to Streetwise services

In response, Officers advised:

• Recycling performance is influenced by external factors such as weather and measurement by weight
• Grants are not always ringfenced but further information could be provided
• Budget efficiencies reflect improved understanding of costs following service changes rather than reductions in service levels

The Group noted the report and approved the recommendations. It was RESSOLVED that the Corporate Overview Group scrutinises:

a)    the 2025/26 revenue position and efficiencies identified in Table 1 and Appendix A and B

b)    the changes to the earmarked reserves as set out at Appendix G along with the carry  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Report of the Chief Executive

The Group received a report from the Assistant Director for Corporate Services and Interim Monitoring Officer on progress made against the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Action Plan. The report also outlined the Council’s EDI priorities and planned activity for the next 12 months.

Assistant Director for Corporate Services and Interim Monitoring Officer noted that staff demographic data had remained broadly stable due to limited changes within the workforce. As the most recent Census data continued to be used as the baseline for comparison, there were only minor changes in the reported figures.

However, there had been a significant increase in job applications, potentially linked to wider use of flexible working and technological changes.

The Group was updated on key activities undertaken during the year, including:

• Delivery of a large-scale Lunar New Year event – over 1000 people attended
• Introduction of the Hidden Disability Sunflower Scheme
• Re-accreditation under the White Ribbon scheme
• Expansion of support for carers, including the introduction of carers’ passports
• A review and update of the Council's inclusive language guide for staff and councillors

The Group discussed:

• The use and reliability of demographic data and how it informs service delivery
• Recruitment practices and the absence of demographic targets
• Support for carers and how the carers’ passport operates in practice
• Whether further work should be undertaken to measure service impact across different groups

The Assistant Director for Corporate Services and the Interim Monitoring Officer confirmed that:

• Recruitment is undertaken on merit
• Resident feedback is primarily obtained through the resident satisfaction survey
• Demographic data is used selectively through analytical tools to inform service planning

The Assistant Director for Corporate Services and the Interim Monitoring confirmed that the Chair of the internal steering group has been taken up by the Assistant Director for Planning and Growth, who was unable to attend the meeting but updated the following:

·       Committed to positively and proactively fulfilling its EDI duty

·       We will be pragmatic in our delivery whilst ensuring that the Council continues to prioritise and embed EDI in how we plan and deliver services

The Chair asked whether armed forces support fell within this remit. It was confirmed that covered by the Armed Forces Covenant.

It is RESOLVED that the Corporate Overview Group:

a) considered and endorsed the information provided for the Diversity Annual

Report

b) reviewed the action taken so far as a part of the Equality, Diversity and

Inclusion Scheme action plan and made suggestions for future action or

areas of focus.

The Group received feedback from recent scrutiny activity.

It was reported that the review of the West Bridgford Contact Centre had found that, despite moving from a dedicated facility to a shared space, service quality remained high due to staff knowledge and customer interaction.

It was also noted that a change to the scrutiny scheduling, a preference for moving the date of the Corporate Overview Meeting until after other scrutiny meetings, would allow for better updates from those scrutiny meetings. It was also noted that the Carbon Management Plan is considered at a more appropriate point in the year to reflect full-year data.

There were no updates from Officers

Report of the Director – Finance and Corporate Services

The Group considered a request relating to park homes. The Assistant Director for Corporate Services and Interim Monitoring Officer advised that:

• The issue is complex and largely outside the Council’s direct control
• A national consultation is currently underway
• Scrutiny at this stage would be unlikely to result in meaningful local outcomes

The Assistant Director for Corporate Services and Interim Monitoring Officer noted that Officers at the Council had believed that they had Councillor Combellack's agreement to produce a briefing note on this topic to address many of the points she had raised in the scrutiny request and this was circulated on 4th June.

The Assistant Director for Corporate Services and Interim Monitoring Officer advised that Officers do not believe this request is an effective use of Council resources in terms of scrutiny as there is so little that the council can do to influence the situation.

It was agreed that the item was not suitable for scrutiny at this time and should be revisited when national changes are clearer. The Group requested to be kept informed of progress from national consultation and any future changes to legislation on the basis that this may allow for this item to be reconsidered.

The Group considered a scrutiny request relating to Management of Open Spaces on New Build Estates

Cllr Way and Cllr Thomas joined the meeting to present the case for this potential scrutiny. They presented the following:

• Residents face increasing and sometimes inequitable management charges
• Charges can vary significantly between estates and residents
• Concerns include infrastructure maintenance, drainage systems and adoption of open spaces
• There is growing national attention and local impact on residents

The Group expressed a range of views:

• Strong concern about fairness and impacts on residents, particularly about having to pay twice for service, often poor service from management companies
• Recognition that issues are largely driven by national policy and legislation
• Consideration of whether local scrutiny could deliver meaningful change, or would be interacted positively by management companies

The Assistant Director for Corporate Services and the Interim Monitoring Officer highlighted that:

• The issue has previously been scrutinised multiple times
• Limited local powers restrict the Council’s ability to effect change
• National consultation may provide a more appropriate basis for future scrutiny
• Referenced the Cabinet Report of July 2025 which considered this issue, and acknowledged that the Council could lobby central government

Councillors were supportive of further work to identify what actions could be taken locally, including engagement, policy review and support for residents.

Unanimously, the Group agreed to progress the request to scrutiny, with further work required to scope the review and identify an appropriate timeframe.

The Group reviewed the scrutiny work programme.

It was noted that:

• Existing scheduled items remain in place
• The new scrutiny relating to open spaces will require significant officer input
• A realistic timetable will be developed following further consideration of scope and workload

It was RESOLVED that the Corporate Overview Group:

a)    considered any additional items for scrutiny from the current Cabinet Forward Plan,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.