Agenda and minutes

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the previous meeting.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the previous meeting held on 7 December 2023 be approved and signed.

RESOLVED that the exempt minutes of the previous meeting held on 7 December 2023 be approved and signed.

To receive any apologies for absence and notification of any substitute Members in accordance with the Constitution.

Apologies were received from Councillor Green, Councillor Cooper was substitute.

Apologies were received from Councillor Elbourne, Councillor Kulka was substitute.

To receive any Declarations of Interest (including the existence and nature of any Party Whip).

There were no declarations of interest.

To consider the updated elements of the Budget 2024/25 and Capital Programme 2024 to 2027 proposals before Executive on 1 February 2024.

(This report will follow as an addendum).

In addition to the summary of budget movements November 2023 to January 2024 that had been published in an addendum to the agenda pack, an annex summarising budget movements in table form was tabled at the meeting.

The Chief Finance Officer confirmed that the budget for 2024/25 was balanced and provided an explanation of the figures set out in the annex.

In response to a Member question, the Chief Finance Officer confirmed that following the unexpected announcement of additional Government funding on 24 January 2024, it was not yet known how this would impact this Council. It was expected that confirmation of any additional funding from the Government would be confirmed in the Final Settlement announcement in early February and that this would be reflected in the recommendations to Council on 20 February 2024.

In response to a Member question, the Chief Finance Officer confirmed that the IT Strategy Reserve had been established in parallel with approval of the IT Strategy in 2022 and was being used to fund one-off costs, such as migration of systems to the Cloud to strengthen business resilience.

With reference to the financial risks identified by the Budget Scrutiny Panel in November 2023, the following clarifications were provided:

·         Inflation – CPI inflation forecasts had fallen since the peak of 10%. Inflation pressures remain a risk, but the Chief Finance Officer was content that the budget forecasts are reasonable and realistic with appropriate provision for forecast cost pressures.

·         Car parking income – car parking income reduced significantly during the pandemic; however this was no longer considered to be a risk and budgets had been re-baselined to reflect current demand since 2022/23.

·         Homelessness demands – this remains a key concern. Government funding continues to be received and is relied upon to manage the costs. It was confirmed that from Quarter 3 2023/24 additional information about homelessness budget risks would be included in the quarterly reporting to Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Executive.

·         Recyclate income – recyclate income remained volatile and is monitored closely. Government reforms to waste and recycling delivery are expected to bring changes to the Council’s waste and recycling services, the costs of which are expected to be partially met by Government. Further updates will be reported to Executive when the details are confirmed.

·         Harlequin income – The Head of Service confirmed that costs and income from the 2023 pantomime were currently being collated. The closure of the Harlequin had resulted in loss of income, but also a reduction in running costs. The outcome would be reported to Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Executive.

RESOLVED that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

i)             Considered the updated elements of the Budget 2024/25 and Capital Programme 2024 to 2027.

ii)            There were no recommendations made to the Executive.

To receive an update from the Leader of the Council, Councillor Richard Biggs.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Biggs, gave an update on the work of the Council. He began by thanking the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Budget Scrutiny Panel for their work throughout the year.

The Leader spoke about the challenges presented by the unexpected closure of the Harlequin theatre. The closure brought a loss of income, but also a saving in costs, and a full report would be presented to Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  The pantomime had been relocated and all bookings for the forty-three performances had been honoured, helping to raise money for the Lucy Rayner Foundation, the Mayor’s nominated charity. A pop-up space in the Belfry centre is in use for other shows and events. The Leader thanked the Harlequin team for their hard work.

The Council continues to deliver good services and good work for the borough including:

·         Approval for a trial of an electric bin lorry

·         Plans to transition waste fleet vehicles to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil fuel

·         Renewal of the Public Space Protection Order in Redhill

·         A Housing Policy amendment which offers support to those residents interested in downsizing to help make better use of local housing stock

·         The influence of The Rise, offering new facilities for residents and attracting new businesses to the area

Other highlights included:

·         The Volunteer Awards had taken place in October 2023, recognising volunteers across the borough

·         Free football coaching sessions set up for young people in Tadworth, which was showcased at Surrey Downs NHS ‘Pulling Together’ conference as an example of high quality community engagement

·         The Council’s work with Mount Green Housing Association on Wheatley Court was shortlisted for the best partnership category in the 2023 Affordable Housing Awards

·         The Business Awards took place in November, celebrating the vital role that local businesses of all sizes play in the local community.

Looking ahead, multiple projects are in progress including:

·         The Sustainability Team are carrying out a light touch review of the Environmental Sustainability Strategy

·         Engagement with residents and other stakeholders is taking place to inform development of the next Corporate Plan to cover 2025-30

·         The Reigate and Banstead Sports Awards would be taking place

·         Consultation on the A23 Great Street Design Code has concluded and has secured Department of Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities funding of £120k

·         Plans are underway for the 50^th anniversary of Reigate and Banstead Borough Council to include the appointment of Aldermen, Freemen and additional special awards.

The Leader invited Members to ask questions on his update. In response, the following clarifications were provided:

The Harlequin

Since RAAC had been discovered at the Harlequin and the theatre had been closed, the Council had remained on a waiting list for surveyors to carry out the necessary work to establish the extent of the problem. As the RAAC problem was nationwide, there was high demand for surveyors and no action could be taken to expedite the process. Members would be updated when more information was known. The Managing Director also reported that discussions were ongoing  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61.

To receive a briefing from Executive Members of the People Portfolio areas of work: Housing & Support, Benefits, Intervention, Leisure, and Community Partnerships, and to consider any issues that arise.

Members received briefings from the People Portfolio Holders overseeing five areas of the Council’s work – Housing and Support, Benefits, Intervention, Leisure, and Community Partnerships.

The presentations from each of the Executive Members / Portfolio Holders were published on the Council’s website as part of the Committee’s agenda pack which can be viewed here:

Agenda for Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Thursday, 25th January, 2024, 7.30 pm | Reigate and Banstead Borough Council (moderngov.co.uk)

Several advance questions had been submitted regarding the Portfolio Holder Updates. The advance questions and responses can be viewed here:

Document Advance Questions and Answers OS 25 January 2024 | Reigate and Banstead Borough Council (moderngov.co.uk)

Councillor Neame, Portfolio holder for Housing and Support, gave an overview of the Council’s work in this area.

Housing Services includes Homelessness, Housing Options, Housing Register including Choice Based Lettings, Refugee and Asylum Seeker accommodation and Housing Delivery.

Councillor Neame reported that homeless applications are increasing, and the number of households in emergency accommodation are increasing; the Housing team are successfully preventing more households becoming homeless.

It is becoming more difficult to secure affordable private rented accommodation for applicants, although the news in the Autumn Statement that the Local Housing Allowance will be increasing in April 2024 will go some way to improve this.

The Home Office procuring hundreds of beds for Asylum Seekers in the borough has and remains a significant challenge for the team – they are effectively a new cohort of homeless applicants.

The Housing team have been able to increase in numbers to help manage the challenges, and this strong and experienced team are committed to enabling good outcomes for vulnerable households.

The Executive has approved over £6million pounds of spend to increase local temporary accommodation which will benefit applicants. The Social Housing Down Sizer scheme which went live in November 2023, has already lined up 3 downsizers freeing up 3 family homes to be offered to homeless households.

The Portfolio Holder invited Members to ask questions on the presentation. In response, the following clarifications were provided:

Asylum Seekers

Members asked several questions relating to asylum seekers. It was confirmed that currently a good level of funding was received from Government to house asylum seekers that had received positive immigration decisions that were presenting as homeless when leaving local Home Office hotel accommodation; confirmation of next year’s funding had not yet been received and had not been confirmed for the current year until June 2023. The Council was also awaiting confirmation that any unused funding could be rolled over to next year. The contracts for this type of Home Office accommodation were between the hotels and the Home Office, with no direct relationship between hotels and the Council. Once asylum seekers receive a positive immigration decision and change status to refugees, they leave the hotel accommodation and can approach the Council for homeless assistance or secure their own accommodation independently. Some refugees move closer to relatives and friends in other areas, some present to the Council  ...  view the full minutes text for item 62.

To consider the Calendar of Meetings 2024/25 and make any observations to the Executive.

The Committee considered the calendar of meetings 2024/25. The Chair noted that he had requested an extended period of time between the Budget Scrutiny Panel meeting and the subsequent Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting, but that this had not been possible.

The Committee made no observations to the Executive.

To consider and agree any changes to the schedule for Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s Forward Work Programme 2023/24 and to consider the Action Tracker from the previous meeting.

The Managing Director informed the Committee that a new Police Borough Commander, Jon Vale, was now starting imminently; both he and the interim Borough Commander, Rob Staplehurst, would be attending the Annual Community Partnership Scrutiny meeting on 22 February 2024, as well as officers from the Council.

The Chair informed the Committee that it would be necessary to move the Review of the Recycling Service from the March meeting into the pending section of the forward work programme, to accommodate the timeline for subsequent reporting to Executive.

RESOLVED that Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

i)             Approved the change to the Overview and Scrutiny Forward Work Programme.

ii)            Noted the action tracker.

To consider any items arising from the Executive which might be subject to the ‘call-in’ procedure in accordance with the provisions of the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules set out in the Constitution.

It was reported that there were no items arising from the Executive that might be subject to the “call-in” procedure in accordance with the provisions of the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules.

To consider any item(s) which, in the opinion of the Chairman, should be considered as a matter of urgency - Local Government Act 1972, Section 100B(4)(b).

(NOTE: Under the Committee and Sub-Committee Procedure Rules set out in the Constitution, items of urgent business must be submitted in writing but may be supplemented by an oral report.)

There was no urgent business.