Items
| No. |
Item |
1. |
To Receive Apologies for Absence
|
2. |
Substitutes
|
3. |
Public Questions & Statements
To receive questions / statements from the
public, if any.
|
4. |
Minutes  PDF 376 KB
To approve as a correct record the minutes of
the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on the
28th of January 2026.
Additional documents:
|
5. |
Items of Urgent Business
To determine any
other items of business which the Chairman decides should be
considered as a matter of urgency pursuant to Section 100B(4)(b) of
the Local Government Act 1972.
|
6. |
Declarations of Interest PDF 721 KB
Members are asked
at this stage to declare any interests that they may have in any of
the following items on the agenda. The Code of Conduct for Members
requires that declarations include the nature of the interest and
whether it is a disclosable pecuniary
interest.
|
7. |
Petitions From Members of the Public
To consider any petitions received from
members of the public.
|
8. |
Consideration of Any Matter Referred to the Committee by a Member
To consider any
requests made by non-executive Members of the Council, submitted to
the Democratic Services Manager with seven clear working
days’ notice, to include an item on the agenda of the
Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
|
9. |
Responses of the Council or the Cabinet to the Committee's Reports or Recommendations
To consider any responses of the Council or
the Cabinet to the Committee’s reports or
recommendations:
|
10. |
Nomination of Substitute to the Health Overview Select Committee (HOSC)
To Nominate and Recommend to Full Council a
substitute to sit on the board of the Health Overview Select
Committee.
|
11. |
Delegated Decisions - February 2026 PDF 147 KB
|
Delegated Decisions November to December
2025
|
|
Executive
Summary
|
This report details the decisions taken under
delegated powers from November to December 2025.
|
|
Options
considered
|
Not applicable – the recording and
reporting of delegated decisions is a statutory requirement.
|
|
Consultation(s)
|
Consultation is not required as this report
and accompanying appendix is for information only. No decision is
required, and the outcome cannot be changed as it is historic,
factual information.
|
|
Recommendations
|
To receive and note
the report and the register of decisions taken under delegated
powers.
|
|
Reasons for
recommendations
|
The Constitution: Chapter 6, Part 2, details
the functions which are delegated to officers. In addition, it
requires that
any exercise of such powers should be reported to the next
meeting of Council, Cabinet or working party (as appropriate).
The law requires the Council to record executive and
non-executive decisions taken by officers under delegated powers
and to publish them on the Council’s website.
These requirements apply to decisions
that would have been taken by Council or the Cabinet if delegated
powers had not been given to an officer either -
- under an express delegation granted
at a meeting of Cabinet, Council or a Committee.
- Or under a general delegation (where
responsibility is delegated in the Constitution)
|
|
Background
papers
|
Signed decision forms
|
Additional documents:
|
12. |
Capital Strategy 2026/2027 PDF 409 KB
To review the Capital Strategy
for 2026-2027 and make any recommendations to Full
Council.
|
Capital Strategy Report
2026-27
|
|
Executive
Summary
|
This report sets out the Council’s
Capital Strategy for the year 2026/27. It sets out the
Council’s approach to the deployment of capital resources in
meeting the Council’s overall aims and objectives while
providing the strategic framework for the effective management and
monitoring of the capital programme.
|
|
Options
considered
|
This report must be prepared to ensure the
Council complies with the CIPFA Treasury Management and Prudential
Codes.
|
|
Consultation(s)
|
Section 151 Officer
|
|
Recommendations
|
To recommend to Full Council that the Capital
Strategy 2026/27 is approved.
|
|
Reasons for
recommendations
|
The Council is required to approve a Capital Strategy to
demonstrate compliance with the Codes and establishes the strategic
framework for the management of the capital programme.
|
|
Background
papers
|
CIPFA Prudential Code (Treasury Management in
the Public Services: Code of Practice 2021 Edition).
CIPFA Prudential Code (Capital Finance in
Local Authorities: Code of Practice 2021 Edition).
|
Additional documents:
|
13. |
Draft Revenue Budget 2026-2027 PDF 522 KB
To review the draft Budget
proposals for 2026-2027 and make any recommendations to Full
Council
|
Draft Revenue Budget
for 2026-27
|
|
Executive Summary
|
This report presents the latest iteration of
the budget for 2026/27. It is intended to present the position as
we currently know it and it will need to
be updated as more information becomes available e.g. the impact of
the final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2026/27.
|
|
Options considered.
|
No other options have been considered as it is
a legal requirement to calculate “the expenditure which the
authority estimates it will incur in the forthcoming year in
performing its functions” and then subtract “the sums
which it estimates will be payable for the year into its general
fund”. This is required to set a balanced budget before 11
March 2026.
|
|
Consultation(s)
|
The Overview and Scrutiny Committee will have
the opportunity to review this report at its meeting on 11 February
2026.
Budget consultation is taking place on the
Council’s website currently for anyone to share their views.
Consultation with Business Rates payers is also being undertaken.
The results of both these consultations will be included in the
report being presented to full Council on 18 February 2026.
|
|
Recommendations
|
- That Cabinet consider the proposed
balanced budget including movement in reserves and recommended
approval to full Council.
- To
approve the use of the Communities reserve to fund a revenue budget
of £4,000 per Member to allow the award of small local
grants.
- To
approve the creation of an £0.75m
Ear Marked Reserve to mitigate the Revenue costs of Local
Government Reorganisation.
- That
an alternative option for balancing the budget should be agreed to
replace costs or savings not taken forward if there are
any.
- That
Cabinet agree that any additional funding announced as part of the
final Local Government Settlement announcement be transferred to
reserves.
- That
Cabinet decide which proposed new capital bids should be
recommended to full Council for inclusion in the Capital
Programme.
|
|
Reasons for
recommendations
|
To enable the Council to set a balanced
budget.
|
|
Background
papers
|
2025/26 Budget report presented
to full Council on 19 February 2025.
|
Additional documents:
|
14. |
Medium Term Financial Strategy 2026 onwards PDF 2 MB
Scrutiny of the MTFS – To review and to
recommend to Full Council.
|
15. |
Non-Domestic Business rates Policy 2026/2027 PDF 174 KB
To review the Policy and make recommendations
to Full Council.
|
Non-Domestic
(Business) Rates Policy 2026-27
|
|
Executive
Summary
|
The Non-Domestic (Business) Rates Policy
2026-27 has been revised to reflect the changes to schemes
announced by government and includes guidelines as to how the
schemes are to be implemented and the financial implications on the
authority.
|
|
Options
considered.
|
The policy is discretionary, so members can
decide not to agree to the recommendations.
|
|
Consultation(s)
|
The Government expects local authorities to
use their discretionary relief powers to grant these reliefs.
The Supporting Small Business Relief,
Hardship Relief, Film
Studios Relief, Flood Relief, Electric Vehicle Charging Points and
Electric Vehicle Only Forecourts relief, Pubs and live music venues
relief and Retail Hospitality and Leisure Relief up to 31/03/26.
All of these (except the Hardship Policy) will be compensated in
full for our loss of rates income. This compensation will be paid
by section 31 grant and calculated based on the returns that the
council makes under the rates retention scheme.
The Council’s Discretionary Rate Relief
Policy has been revised to reflect these changes.
|
|
Recommendations
|
1. It is agreed by Full Council
that the Revenues Manager continues to have delegated authority to
make decisions up to the NNDC cost value of £4k as indicated
in Appendix A.
2. It is agreed
by Full Council that the Revenues Manager continues to have
delegated authority to make Hardship Relief decisions up to the
NNDC cost value of £4k as indicated in Appendix
C.
3. It is agreed
by Full Council that the Rate Relief Policy is revised as indicated
in Appendix A, B and C.
|
|
Reasons for
recommendations
|
The new policy will enable the Supporting
Small Business Relief, Hardship Relief, Film Studios Relief, Flood Relief,
Electric Vehicle Charging Points and Electric Vehicle Only
Forecourts relief, Pubs and live music venues relief and Retail
Hospitality and Leisure Relief up to 31/03/26 to be awarded
discretionary reliefs.
|
Additional documents:
|
|
Work Programmes
|
16. |
The Cabinet Work Programme PDF 176 KB
To note the
upcoming Cabinet Work Programme.
|
17. |
Overview & Scrutiny Work Programme and Action Tracker PDF 331 KB
To receive an
update from the Scrutiny Officer on progress made with topics on
its agreed work programme, training updates and to receive any
further information which Members may have requested at a previous
meeting.
Additional documents:
|
18. |
Exclusion of the Press and Public
To pass the
following resolution, if necessary:
“That under
Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and
public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of
business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of
exempt information as defined in paragraph _ of Part I of Schedule
12A (as amended) to the Act.”
|