Agenda and minutes

To consider the minutes of the previous meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board held on 19 January 2022 and to approve them as a true and correct record of the proceedings.

Resolved: - That the Minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board held on 19 January 2022 be approved as a true record.

To receive declarations of interest from Members in respect of items listed on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive questions relating to items of business on the agenda from members of the public or press who are present at the meeting.

There were no questions from members of the public or press.

To consider whether the press and public should be excluded from the meeting during consideration of any part of the agenda.

There were no items that required the exclusion of the press or public.

Cabinet Portfolio: - Corporate Services, Community Safety and Finance

Strategic Directorate: - Finance and Customer Services

Consideration was given to a report that was submitted for pre-decision scrutiny ahead of the Cabinet meeting scheduled for 14 February 2022 that detailed the Council’s financial position as at the end of December 2021 based on actual cost and income figures for the first nine months of 2021/22. It was noted that the report was the fifth of a series of financial monitoring reports for the current financial year. The Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Community Safety and Finance, the Strategic Director – Finance and Customer Services, the Assistant Director - Financial Services and the Head of Corporate Finance attended the meeting to present the report.

The report stated that as of November 2021 the Council was expecting to deliver the overall outturn within budget for the financial year 2021/22. It was noted that while the Directorates had a current forecast year end overspend of £8.2m on General Fund expenditure that this should be mitigated by the Government’s provision of COVID-19 emergency support grant and Sales, Fees and Charges Income Compensation. It was noted that the longer-term impacts of Covid-19, public health measures and the pace at which services could return to normal was unknown and that was situation was being further exacerbated by current uncertainties that had been brought about by the Omicron Covid-19 variant that had the potential to create further financial implications for the Council.

The report also provided a detailed narrative for the budget position of each directorate. The report also provided information on the delivery of previously agreed savings, the position of the Housing Revenue Account and the delivery of the Capital Programme.

Members noted the projected overspend and the delayed delivery of savings in the Children and Young People’s Services directorate and asked whether in this context that the directorate’s budget was realistic. The Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Community Safety and Finance advised that the budget was realistic but noted the pressures that the budget was under due to the high cost of placements for looked after children. The Cabinet Member noted that the challenges presented by high costs of placements was not unique to Rotherham as this was an issue facing local authorities across the country. The Strategic Director for Children and Young People’s Services, who was in attendance at the meeting advised that the transformation activity that was being carried out in the directorate aimed to reduce slowly and safely the number of children who required to be placed into care as the high cost of some placements was a key area of budget pressure. The Strategic Director for Children and Young People’s Services advised that activity around commissioning and working collaboratively with regional partners would aim to get better value and drive the costs of placements down. The Strategic Director for Children and Young People’s Services also advised that increased spending on Early Help Services would also help to reduce demand for more costly interventions by supporting families at early stage and reducing the number of children that required  ...  view the full minutes text for item 111.

Cabinet Portfolio: – Leader

Strategic Directorate: - Finance and Customer Services

Consideration was given to a report that was submitted for pre-decision scrutiny ahead of the Cabinet meeting scheduled for 14 February 2020 in respect of the Budget and Council Tax 2022/23 and Medium-Term Financial Strategy. The Leader of the Council, the Cabinet Member - Corporate Services, Community Safety and Finance - the Chief Executive, the Strategic Director – Finance and Customer Services, the Assistant Director - Financial Services and the Head of Corporate Finance attended the meeting to present the report.

The Assistant Chief Executive, the Acting Strategic Director – Adult Care, Housing and Public Health, the Strategic Director – Children and Young People’s Services and the Strategic Director – Regeneration and Environment, were also in attendance at the meeting.

The report provided information on the Council’s Budget and Council Tax for 2022/23 based on the Council’s Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement for 2022/23, budget consultation and the consideration of Directorate budget proposals through the Council’s formal Budget process, alongside a review of the financial planning assumptions contained within the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy.

In setting the proposed 2022/23 budget increases of 1.5% in the Rotherham MBC element of Council Tax and of 3% in the Adult Social Care precept were being recommended. The report also detailed the proposed revenue budget for 2022/23, an updated capital programme to 2025/26 and the updated Medium-Term Financial Strategy to 2025/26.

The report stated that the Council had continued to face considerable challenges during 2021/22 in its response to the global pandemic, and that whilst the financial impact of COVID-19 had reduced, it had still seen a change in how the Council had been able to provide services to residents. The report noted that the Council had worked at a national, regional and local level to continue to respond to the COVID-19 emergency and that it had continued to ensure that critical services had been delivered so that the most vulnerable residents had continued to be supported. The report noted that the impact of the COVID-19 emergency had continued to create significant financial pressures for the Council due to additional expenditure, lost income and further delays to the delivery of planned savings and cost reductions. The report stated that these financial pressures were being covered in the current year by financial support grants from Government and Covid-19 funding provided.

The report also noted that whilst some uncertainties remained with regard to the ongoing impact of the pandemic that the Council would continue to manage these and that the Council’s priorities for future service delivery had been set out within the Council Plan 2022- 2025 and the Year Ahead Delivery Plan.

In introducing the report, the Leader noted the unprecedented levels of uncertainty that had surrounded the budget setting process that had included issues related to the ongoing impact of austerity measures, the impact of pandemic in relation to lost income, increased costs and challenges in relation to the delivery of services. The Leader also noted that uncertainty around the long-term impacts of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 112.

Cabinet Portfolio: - Leader

Strategic Directorate: - Assistant Chief Executive

Consideration was given to a report that was submitted for pre-decision scrutiny ahead of the Cabinet meeting scheduled for 14 February 2022 that provided information on the on progress made in delivering the key activities as set out in the Council’s Year Ahead Plan in the plan. The Leader of the Council, the Chief Executive, the Assistant Chief Executive and the Acting Head of Policy, Performance and Intelligence attended the meeting to present the report.

The report noted that the Year Ahead Plan was the Council’s plan for operating in and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and that it had originally set out key activities for the Council for the period September 2020 to May 2021. It was noted that following an extension to the Plan that the plan had been put in place until the new Council Plan for 2022 onwards had been produced and approved.

The report stated that the original plan had set out headline themes and their corresponding outcomes and key actions for the period September 2020 to June 2021. It was further noted that an extension to the plan had been agreed by Cabinet on 21 June 2021 that had enabled the plan to remain in place until a new Council Plan came into effect from the start of 2022. The report noted that following regular progress reports to Cabinet, that this fifth and final progress report detailed Council activity up to the end of the plan in November 2021. The report also provided an overview of the progress made since the plan had commenced in September 2020.

The Leader noted that of all the activities contained in the Year Ahead Plan:

·       70% (52) had been completed for the purposes of the plan, even if activity was continuing

·       15% (11) were on track

·       9% (7) were behind schedule

·       5% (4) were off track.

The Leader also noted that in addition to the activities noted above, that six actions from the original version of the plan had still been in progress and as such and were still being reported on. The Leader noted that the status of these were:

·       50% (3) have been completed for the purposes of the plan, even if activity was continuing

·       17% (1) was on track

·       17% (1) was behind schedule

·       17% (1) was off track.

Members welcomed the report and noted with approval that 85% of the activities that had been detailed the plan had either been completed or were on track to be completed on schedule. Members noted that this achievement was particularly commendable as this had been achieved against the background and challenges of the pandemic. Members expressed their thanks to all of the staff across the Council who had contributed to the achievement of the objectives of the plan.

Members asked whether there was a key performance indicator that related to the number of plan items completed on time. The Chief Executive noted the significant achievement of 85% of activities in the plan having been already completed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 113.

To consider the Board’s Work Programme.

The Board considered its Work Programme.

Resolved: - That the Work Programme be approved.

To receive updates from the Chairs of the Select Commission on work undertaken and planned for the future.

The Chairs of the Improving Places Select Commission and the Health Select Commission provided an update of the work of their commissions.

Resolved: -

That the updates be noted.

To review and identify items for pre-decision scrutiny from the Forward Plan of Key Decisions covering the period from 1 February to 30 April 2022.

The Board considered the Forward Plan of Key Decisions 1 February to 30 April 2022.

Resolved: - That the Forward Plan be noted.

To consider any issues referred for call-in from recent Cabinet meetings.

There were no call-in issues.

To determine any item which the Chair is of the opinion should be considered as a matter of urgency.

The Chair requested that members consider moving the start time of meetings of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board to 10am from the first meeting of the Municipal Year 2022/23.

Resolved: -  

That from the first meeting of the Municipal Year 2022/23 that meetings of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board commence at 10am.

The next meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board will be held on Wednesday 23 March 2022 at 11am at Rotherham Town Hall.

Resolved: -

1)    That the Children’s Commissioner Takeover Challenge meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board will be held at 5pm on Wednesday 16 March 2022 at Rotherham Town Hall.

2)    That the next ordinary meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board will be held at 11am on Wednesday 23 March 2022 at Rotherham Town Hall.