Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor K Horn, Councillor S Lambeth, Councillor A Morley, Councillor R Morris and Councillor S Sheahan.

Under the Code of Conduct members are reminded that in declaring interests you should make clear the nature of that interest and whether it is a disclosable pecuniary interest, registerable interest or other interest.

There were no interests declared.

To receive questions from members of the public under rule no.10 of the Council Procedure Rules. The procedure rule provides that members of the public may ask any question on any matter in relation to which the Council has powers or duties which affect the District, provided that three clear days’ notice in writing has been given to the Head of Legal and Support Services.

There were no questions received.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 19 March 2026.

Consideration was given to the minutes of the meeting held on 19 March 2026.

It was moved by Councillor M Ball, seconded by Councillor J Windram and

RESOLVED THAT:

The minutes of the meeting held on 19 March 2026 be approved and signed by the Chair as an accurate record of the proceedings.

To consider any outstanding items from previous meetings.

Members commented that the actions related to the Marlborough Centre funding figures should not have been marked as ‘completed’ as the relevant report had not yet been seen by members. Officers replied that this information was being compiled and would be shared with members prior to going to Cabinet in August 2026.

The update was noted.

To report on Cabinet’s response to recommendations made by the committee.

Members made the following comments relating to Cabinet’s response to scrutiny recommendations:

Housing Improvement Strategy Plan Post-Inspection

Language, accessibility and jargon: A member queried whether a more accessible version of the Housing Improvement Strategy had been produced yet. Officers confirmed that this was in-hand, and the document was due to go through a tenant engagement process before being finalised.

Legacy Fun Grant and Closed Churchyards/Cemeteries Grant Scheme

Cross-party oversight and transparency: A member asked whether any progress had been made regarding the data protection considerations involved in publishing the outcomes of unsuccessful grant applicants. Officers noted that this work was ongoing and would be picked up by the new Strategic Director of Resources.

The report of the Head of Human Resources and Organisation Development.

Councillor K Merrie presented the report on behalf of the Portfolio Holder, Councillor N Rushton.

Comments were made on the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) as they were discussed in turn.

District-Wide Regeneration Framework: Members questioned whether a timetable could have been provided for the District-Wide Regeneration Framework so they could offer input before they were presented with the final document. It was also asked if there was a mechanism for getting new projects added in to the framework. Officers replied that they were unsure if new projects were being added to the framework but would confirm with those responsible.

Waste Services Review: Members queried the reason for the delay in the Council’s collection of food waste. It was explained that this arose from the requirement of all local authorities to introduce food waste collections at the same time - this placed a significant strain on supply chains and thereby caused extended delivery times due to shortages of vehicles and containers. It was confirmed that the Council’s vehicle fleet was due to arrive later in the year, and the roll out would link to the overall changes in the recycling and waste services so as to ease the transition for residents and the service

Zero Carbon Roadmap: Members asked whether specific annual or quarterly targets had been established, as none had yet been identified. In response, it was stated that targets were expected to follow the development of two key asset management plans (covering housing and wider property assets) which were currently in progress and would align with the budget-setting process.

Members sought clarity on the delays to the electric vehicle charging hub at Money Hill car park, noting that funding transfer had been expected earlier. Officers confirmed that the funding had been transferred, and added that, while there had been delays beyond their control, the scheme was expected to progress shortly.

Following a query from a member who asked if there had been any progress in procuring a contractor to complete mine water heating work, officers agreed to provide a response outside of the meeting.

The report of the Head of Human Resources and Organisation Development.

Councillor K Merrie presented the report on behalf of the Portfolio Holder, Councillor N Rushton.

Members raised concerns that the policy did not focus extensively on the risks of future pandemics. Officers clarified that the policy was supported by more detailed service-level plans, which set out specific responses to incidents such as pandemics, fires, or IT failures. It was further noted that such risks were captured within the risk register in a generic form, reflecting the uncertainty of specific future events while ensuring appropriate contingency planning was in place.

The report of the Chief Executive.

Councillor A Woodman, Portfolio Holder, presented the report.

Members welcomed the breakdown of the different complaints received but noted that the response times needed improvement.

The report of the Chief Executive.

Councillor A Woodman, Portfolio Holder, presented the report.

Members highlighted a lack of clarity in section 5 of the policy which outlined instances where offering compensation was unlikely to be appropriate. Officers stated that they could look into rephrasing this and explained that the section referred to complaints about the quality of the work tenants had carried out themselves without written permission from the Council.

Concern was raised that the policy may have been unfair where damage caused by adjacent occupiers was not eligible for compensation. Members were advised that the Council was not liable for damage caused by non-Council tenants and that any resulting loss should be addressed through insurance.

Members welcomed the significant improvements to the quality of complaint responses which included details of appointments and offers of compensation where appropriate. Officers commented that this aligned more with how an Ombudsman approached complaint handling.

The report of the Chief Executive.

Councillor A Woodman, Portfolio Holder, presented the report.

Members raised concerns about the percentage of abandoned calls. Officers clarified that this was as a result of staffing issues, vacant posts and an increase in the number of complex enquiries received.

After asking if there was any callback service in place, officers confirmed that this was not supported by the current telephony provider, but this was something they were considering introducing as part of a new contract, as the contract with the current provider was due to end the following year.

A discussion followed during which members asked who determined whether contact was ‘avoidable’. Officers confirmed that this was the call handler’s interpretation, and reassured members that all staff had been trained so that avoidable contact could be accurately identified.

The report of the Strategic Director of Communities.

The Strategic Director of Communities presented the report.

A member highlighted the inaccuracy of the Committee membership within the report, and officers stated that this would be corrected before the report was considered by Council.

It was moved by Councillor D Bigby, seconded by Councillor M Ball and

RESOLVED THAT:

Authority be delegated to the Scrutiny Committee Chairs to make any final amendments to the report following consideration by both scrutiny committees prior to consideration by Council.

To consider any items to be included in the work programme. The plan of forthcoming Cabinet decisions and the current work programme are attached for information.

Officers advised members that additional budget items may appear as the new Strategic Director of Resources joins the Council.

The future work programme was noted.

Councillor K Merrie left the meeting at 6:54pm.