Agenda and draft minutes

To consider the minutes of the previous meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board held on 17 October 20204, and 13 November 2024, and to approve them as a true and correct record of the proceedings and to be signed by the Chair.

Resolved: - That the Minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board held on 17 October 2024 and 13 November 2024 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 made.

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 and the 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 and public.

Report from the Strategic Director of Adult Care, Housing and Public Health.

Recommendations:

That Cabinet recommends to Council to: -

1.    Approve the proposed 2025/26 Base Case Option 2 for the HRA Business Plan.

2.    Note that the Business Plan will be reviewed annually to provide an updated financial position.

3.    Agree that Council dwelling rents are increased by 2.7% in 2025/26 (Option 2).

4.    Agree that the Council should retain the policy of realigning rents on properties at below formula rent to the formula rent level when the property is re-let to a new tenant.

5.    Agree that shared ownership rents are increased by 3.2% in 2025/26.

6.    Agree that charges for communal facilities, parking spaces, cooking gas and use of laundry facilities are increased by 2% in 2025/26.

7.    Agree that charges for garages are increased by 10% in 2025/26.

8.    Agree that the District Heating unit charge per Kwh is set at 13.09 pence per kwh.

9.    Agree that the decision to reduce the price of District Heating Charges further during 2025/26 be delegated to the Assistant Director of Housing in conjunction with the Assistant Director of Financial Services following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing. The delegation would only be used to respond to a change in Government policy or a significant change in the Ofgem price cap that has the effect of necessitating a lower unit price.

10.Approve the draft Housing Revenue Account budget for 2025/26 as shown in Appendix 6.

The Chair welcomed Councillor Allen, Cabinet Member for Housing and James Clark, Assistant Director for Housing to introduce the report.

The Cabinet Member for Housing stated the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) was a self-financing, ring-fenced account which retained and used the housing rental income to fund on-board services, deliver the capital programme and invest in new housing.  The HRA business plan was updated annually to make sure it reflected the current operating environment.  The business plan prioritised investment in three core areas, which were ensuring tenants’ homes were safe, decent and thermally efficient.  That was supported by an additional investment of £35 million.  Secondly, extending the benefits of council housing to more residents by expanding their housing delivery programme, which was supported by an additional investment of £37 million.  The third priority was around modernising the housing service to enhance customer experience and improve productivity and achieve full regulatory compliance, which had £2 million earmarked against it.

The business plan allowed the Council to deliver its day-to-day frontline services.  This included provision to respond to growing demands in areas such as damp and mould and planned repairs.  The plan would be affected by government policy in a number of ways.  In terms of the rent policy, it was noted that a protection had been offered for five years that would give the Council some certainty that it could continue to charge consumer price index (CPI) plus 1% as the rent increase.  In terms of right to buy, the reduction in the recent discounts was expected to result in less applications for right to buy requests.  A large number of applications were received immediately preceding the deadline.  The reduced income from potential sales meant the Council would have to put more of its own resources into the housing delivery programme, however this would be offset a little by the rent income from the properties that remained.

The social housing regulations, which came into force in April 2024, would bring with it a requirement to implement the outcomes of Awaab’s Law, Decent Homes 2, the compliance standards and requirements along with the requirement to reach EPC ‘C’ standards by 2030. 

There was also the target of an additional one and a half million homes announced by the government, which had been backed nationally by £500m investment to continue the affordable homes program.  All of those things would affect the business plan.

Paragraph 2.5 of the report mentioned revenue issues.  Over 90,000 repairs and maintenance visits were carried out per annum, with the budget details for this being provided in paragraph 2.5.3 of the report.  Supervision and management was also considered, where there was an allocation increase of £2.9 million for furnished homes, compliance and regulation and for the recent 1.2% increased National Insurance Contribution. A prudent decision had also been taken to set aside £250,000 for unforeseen occurrences.

Estate Services would also receive an increase of £135,000 in the business plan, allowing for response to increased demand on planned cyclical reactive estates  ...  view the full minutes text for item 65.

To consider the report and recommendations from the Children’s Commissioner’s Takeover Challenge meeting.

The Chair invited Barbel Gale, Governance Manager, to introduce the report. It was noted that the meeting welcomed members of Rotherham's Youth Cabinet as part of the Takeover Challenge, which was co-chaired by Alex G. from the Youth Cabinet .

The selected topic for the challenge was Health and Wellbeing, identified as a priority both nationally and locally within the Youth Cabinet's manifesto. The topic was divided into four key areas: vaping, mental health, physical health, and healthy eating.

The Youth Cabinet actively engaged by asking challenging questions and holding the council and its partners to account on these issues. The questions raised, along with the resulting recommendations, were outlined in the report.

The importance of the Youth Cabinet's contributions and their recommendations was acknowledged.

Resolved:-

That the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board:

1.    Received the report and the recommendations outlined in Appendix 1.

2.    Agreed that the report and recommendations be forwarded to Cabinet for response.

To consider the Board’s Work Programme.

The Chair of OSMB provided an update regarding ongoing and upcoming reviews. It was reported that a request for nominations to take part in the spotlight review into life-saving equipment had been circulated. While some responses had been received, others were still pending. Members were encouraged to come forward if they wished to participate in this review.

An update was also provided on the grass cutting and grounds maintenance review. A scoping briefing had been shared with members of OSMB and Improving Places Select Commission (IPSC) to identify any additional aspects for inclusion within the review’s scope. The briefing also sought nominations for members to take part. It was noted that during a recent meeting of IPSC, three members had expressed interest in participating in this review alongside members of OSMB.

The Chair thanked those who had volunteered to participate in working groups and encouraged further involvement, stressing the importance of these groups in carrying out background work and developing recommendations for the Cabinet. While Cabinet was not obligated to approve the recommendations, the work of these groups was vital in formulating proposals for consideration.

To support greater engagement, the Chair proposed holding an online meeting to discuss strategies for encouraging participation in the scrutiny work programme. Members were urged not only to contribute suggestions but also to volunteer for reviews and commissions. The Chair concluded by noting that reviews could be conducted online, removing the need for physical meetings at the Town Hall and making participation more accessible.

Resolved: -

1.    That the Work Programme for 2024/2025 was approved.

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

The Chair of the Improving Places Select Commission (IPSC) reported that the recent meeting was highly productive. Key discussions included the Flood Alleviation Schemes, which were noted to be both detailed and engaging. However, concerns were raised about the potential lack of funding for these schemes despite the existence of detailed plans, although there was optimism that resources may be secured for certain areas.

The update on Thriving Neighbourhoods was found to be both insightful and valuable. Additionally, the Annual Bereavement Update addressed ongoing concerns regarding the contract with Dignity but was otherwise informative.  It was also noted that several workshops were planned, with dates and details yet to be confirmed. Overall, the Chair reported that progress across these areas remained positive.

The Chair of the Health Select Commission reported significant progress in recent activities, describing the committee as dynamic and proactive in addressing various health-related issues.

In October, the South Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (JHOSC) held an important session focused on oncology. This meeting examined recent developments affecting Rotherham and Barnsley councils, specifically regarding oncology services. The Commission directed the Integrated Care Board (ICB) to provide a further update on these developments, including progress on the lung clinic at Rotherham Hospital. This update was expected by the end of the municipal year. The Chair emphasised that this was a substantial and fundamental area of work. It was also informed that the Commission also scrutinised the Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust’s (TRFT) annual report and received an overview of priorities from Healthwatch, which was described as particularly insightful.

In November, the Commission reviewed the Place Partners’ winter planning, a critical initiative at this time of year. This session also included an analysis of the findings from the JHOSC. Additionally, scoping and prioritisation meetings were completed successfully, thanks to the efforts of the Governance Advisor, Kerry Grinsill-Clinton. Two priority reviews were identified: the first focused on access to contraception and the second on NHS dentistry access.  While social prescribing had not been sidelined, an additional briefing was prepared to provide new committee members with a deeper understanding of the topic. This work was scheduled to progress later in the municipal year.

It was also noted that members of the Health Select Commission had received additional briefings to support their understanding of the Commission’s quality accounts. This work, prepared by the Governance Advisor, Kerry Grinsill-Clinton, was acknowledged as instrumental in equipping members with the information necessary to make informed decisions and contribute effectively to the Commission’s activities.

The Chair of the OSMB commended the Health Select Commission for tackling significant areas of work, particularly highlighting the focus on NHS dentistry as a pressing national issue.

To review and identify items for pre-decision scrutiny from the Forward Plan of Key Decisions covering the period from 1 December 2024 to 28 February 2025

The Board considered the Forward Plan of Key Decisions 1 December 2024 – 28 February 2025.

Resolved:-

1.     That the Forward Plan was 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.

There were no urgent items.