Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Roger Bennett with Councillor Nic Pioli attending the meeting as a named substitute.

To invite Councillors to declare any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests and / or Other Disclosable Interests they may have in items on the agenda, and to confirm the nature of those interests, and any Party Whip.

There were no declarations of interest nor of party whip.

The minutes of the meeting of Overview and Scrutiny Committee which took place on 27^th July 2026 will be considered.

The minutes of the meeting of Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 27 July 2026 were submitted for Members’ consideration.

RESOLVED that

the minutes of the meeting of Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 27 July 2026 be approved as a true and correct record and signed by the Chair.

To invite members of the public who have registered in advance of the meeting to address the Committee in relation to an item of business on the agenda.

There were no public speakers registered to speak at this meeting.

This report will follow in supplementary papers after it has been published for the meeting of the Executive Committee (due for publication on Friday 28 August 2026).

The Committee considered the Council Equality Strategy 2026-28 and the accompanying Engagement Policy 2026-28. Officers explained that these documents were due to be submitted to Executive Committee and to full Council for final decision later in September 2026.

The Equality Strategy did not establish a separate programme of initiatives, but applied an equality focus to existing services, projects, partnerships, engagement and improvement work to ensure Council’s decisions, services and communications are fair, accessible and responsive to the varied needs of residents.

The Strategy built on the previous equality strategy. Officers highlighted some of the achievements that the Council had achieved in relation to equalities including access to secure and affordable housing through delivery of new council homes in Church Hill, improvements to the Redditch housing allocation system to strengthen fairness and transparency, the development of the Town Hall as an accessible community hub, and investment in skills, innovation and public spaces.

The Strategy was supported by the Action Plan which brought together data on activity taking place across Council services to deliver the authority’s four equality objectives. The Action Plan would enable more consistent monitoring of progress under each of the four objectives and enable the Council to demonstrate to residents how equality considerations were embedded within the authority’s work.

Members were advised that equality considerations should be identified early, supported by evidence, reflected in decisions and reported transparently. Although the position regarding Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) had changed shortly before the meeting, Members stressed that the Council’s equality duties and responsibilities continued irrespective of any decisions regarding LGR. The Committee was reminded that Member Training on Equality Matters was scheduled for 14 September 2026.

Members welcomed the Council’s new Equality Strategy and the progress made in improving Equality Impact Assessments. A question was raised about the absence of a specific reference to the Armed Forces community and the Armed Forces Covenant. Officers explained that the strategy was not intended to list every project or group and did not supersede the Housing Assistance Policy or other policies containing specific commitments the Council had with respect to the Armed Forces. Instead, the Equality Strategy and the Engagement Policy were designed to reinforce those policies and the Equality Act 2010 framework.

The Committee endorsed the report recommendation as printed.

RECOMMENDED that

the Equality Strategy 2026-2028 (including the Engagement Policy) be approved.

This report will follow in supplementary papers after it has been published for the meeting of the Executive Committee (due for publication on Friday 28 August 2026).

The Committee considered the proposed Redditch Town Centre Strategy and the accompanying action plan. Officers explained that the strategy provided a vision and framework for the future development, management and promotion of the town centre. It was intended to guide investment, support partnership working and align activity around a shared set of priorities. The Strategy focuses on supporting a strong and diverse economy, improvements to the public realm, enhancing accessibility and safety, increasing footfall through events and activities, and encouraging investment and long-term sustainability. It was highlighted that this was a strategic document rather than a detailed delivery plan, with the initial action plan focusing mainly on the first 12-months.

The Leader of the Council was invited to speak and in doing so he stated that the Strategy was intended to make the town centre a place where people chose to spend time rather than merely pass through. He outlined current strengths of the Town Centre which included the Kingfisher Shopping Centre, the Church Green, the Palace Theatre, local heritage and the strong business community.

The Leader highlighted that there remained persistent issues which included levels of cleanliness, poor shop fronts, large number of vacant units, landscaping, signage and the general appearance of large parts of the town centre area. The Leader noted that alongside officers he had, and would continue to, undertake regular ‘walks’ to check on the town centre and monitor progress. All elected members were invited to join these walks. A Member noted that long-term regeneration aims for the town centre had to be pursued alongside visible day-to-day improvements and in that regard the continued development of partnership engagement with the College, the Kingfisher Centre, Police, businesses and the County Council was welcomed.

Members asked whether views had been sought from outside Redditch and how the town could distinguish itself from nearby centres. Officers confirmed that there had been no specific consultation outside the Borough, although other town centre strategies had been reviewed. During discussion the role of Kingfisher Shopping Centre as a major covered retail destination was highlighted alongside the work of Redditch Business Improvement District (BID), the role of transport connections and the opportunity to encourage existing Kingfisher Centre footfall to visit the wider town centre. Members also referred to changing shopping habits, online retail, weaknesses in the night-time economy in the Borough and the effect of business rates, noting that the business rates were set by the central government. It was commented that increased business rates retention would allow local authorities the flexibility in tackling problems such as vacant shop units.

The Committee discussed the Council’s relationship with the Kingfisher Centre and the issue of vacancies of town centre premises. It was reported that dialogue with the centre’s ownership should be strengthened so the Council’s and Kingfisher’s plans could be aligned more closely. The Leader of the Council explained that officers were exploring the statutory and other powers available to address poorly maintained or empty premises and highlighted that parts of the town centre  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34.

This report will follow in supplementary papers after it has been published for the meeting of the Executive Committee (due for publication on Friday 28 August 2026).

The Committee considered a report on the Housing Decant Policy which set out how the Council would support tenants and leaseholders where it was necessary to move them into temporary accommodation. The Policy outlined the arrangements that would apply in different circumstances, including the Council’s financial and legal obligations. It also detailed the compensation available to tenants who were permanently displaced as a result of demolition or major refurbishment works, referred to under home loss and disturbance payments.

The Committee was informed that decants were currently most commonly required on a short-term basis, for example following damp and mould issues, fire or flood incidents. The Policy had been developed to provide greater detail than was previously contained within the Housing Management Policy and reflected the increased requirements arising from Awaab’s Law. The updates to legislation placed stricter expectations on landlords to address hazards within properties and, where necessary, to move tenants to alternative accommodation while works were undertaken.

The Housing Decant Policy brought together the relevant housing law and sector good practice, clarified responsibilities for staff and tenants, which enabled clarification on many important details and reduced the risk of inconsistency or legal challenge. Members requested that the existing provisions on decant within the Tenancy Management Policy should be presented alongside this new Housing Decant Policy to enable Members to make comparisons between the Policies. It was agreed that this would be provided as part of the updated report going to full Council.

Members asked where households would be placed when larger family accommodation was already in high demand. Officers advised that the Council held approximately 40 dispersed temporary accommodation units, generally with one or two bedrooms. Where necessary, a suitable void property could be prioritised temporarily before reallocation, although it was highlighted that there was a large waiting list for council housing which meant this option was not always possible. For short urgent periods, hotel or bed-and-breakfast accommodation, or more than one dispersed unit where appropriate, could be used. However, every effort was made to ensure that families, especially with young children, were not split into separate accommodation units.

Communication and notice periods were discussed. Officers explained that in the event of emergency moves following a fire, flood or other serious hazard, a decant might need to take place immediately, and the notice periods stated in the policy could not be adhered to. However, when the move was as a result of planned major programmed works, there would be a longer notice period and a named officer would be in place to support the household. Assistance could include coordinating the move, arranging utilities and meter readings, transport, furnishings and other practical needs.

During discussion, it was explained that tenants would not be charged rent on the temporary property because rent on the substantive home would usually continue. Officers undertook to clarify the Council Tax arrangements that applied during a temporary decant but explained that households would not be expected to pay Council Tax on both properties in case of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 35.

This report will follow in supplementary papers after it has been published for the meeting of the Executive Committee (due for publication on Friday 28 August 2026).

The Committee considered the combined report on Housing Performance and the Housing Improvement Plan for Quarter 1 2026/27. Officers explained that the two reports were previously considered separately but had been merged as performance and improvement activity within Housing were closely connected. The new format also included additional operational measures, including voids, tenancy audits, rental income and information collected to understand tenants’ needs.

Improvements in performance were reported around building safety and compliance across gas, asbestos, water, and communal electrical safety. Standard void performance was stated to be within the upper quartile nationally. Complaint-handling had continued to improve and the tenancy audits were included now to strengthen the Council’s understanding of tenants’ needs and tailor services accordingly.

Repairs performance continued to improve but two key Housing Property Services vacancies had affected capacity during quarters one and two of this year. It was confirmed that Property Services Manager and Business Support Manager had now been recruited to and had started in their roles. The number of outstanding fire remedial actions had continued to reduce, with a second contractor having been engaged and an additional £1 million had been provided for fire compartmentation works. The dedicated damp and mould team was approaching its first anniversary and was reported to be performing strongly, although difficulties with gaining access to some properties, particularly where multi-stage treatments were required, had affected the Council’s performance in this area. However, joint working was undertaken with the Tenancy Team to ensure that access issues were being resolved.

Officers summarised that of the Housing Improvement Plan actions, 30 had now been completed, 48 were on track for completion within timescales and 6 were behind schedule.

A Member referred to concerns raised by the Budget Scrutiny Working Group about performance in Housing, having reviewed the most recent quarterly corporate performance and financial monitoring reports. The Member explained that Housing performance appeared to be an area of concern in those reports, including in relation to measures such as households with children in temporary accommodation, complaint response times, repairs, vacancies, income collection, and legal costs within Housing.

Officers responded that in terms of the number of households with children that were in temporary accommodation, the figure for Redditch was 26 households which compared with other districts in Worcestershire as follows: 45 in Bromsgrove, 37 in Worcester City, 23 in Wychavon and 47 in Wyre Forest. The only outlier was Malvern Hills where the number was 6. It was stated that it was rare for the Council to have families with children in bed and breakfast accommodation and in Redditch there were no families with children who had remained in bed-and-breakfast accommodation for more than six weeks, which was a positive outcome. In terms of homelessness prevention, the Council also performed well regionally in terms of homelessness prevention and meeting the relief duty.

The reported increase in legal expenditure relating to tenants approaching solicitors over housing conditions was discussed. As the relevant performance and financial reports were not before the housing officers, Members  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.

The minutes of the meeting of Executive Committee which took place 28^th July 2026 are attached for noting.

The Executive Committee minutes were submitted to enable the Committee to note the outcomes of recommendations made previously by Overview and Scrutiny.

RESOLVED that

the Executive Committee minutes be noted.

The Committee reviewed the Executive Committee Work Programme and considered items that might be suitable for pre-decision scrutiny.

The following items were identified for addition to the Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme:

·       Pride in Place Programme Governance – 23^rd November meeting

·       Review of Redditch Town Centre Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) – 23^rd November meeting

Members also requested progress information on the Community Investment Fund, noting that funding had previously been approved and remained in earmarked reserves.

It was reported that proposals concerning Auxerre House might have changed since the item was first placed on the work programme and requested that this be checked.

Members also referred to the previously requested invitation to the NHS Trust to scrutinise the plans to redesign the adult mental health rehabilitation services, parking enforcement (due to be considered via the Redditch Civil Parking Enforcement report currently scheduled for 23^rd November meeting), and the need for continued quarterly scrutiny of the Housing Performance and Improvement Plan Update report.

RESOLVED that

the Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme be updated with items from the Executive Work Programme as per the pre-amble above.

The Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme was updated with items as per consideration under the previous agenda item.

RESOLVED that

the updated Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme be noted.

a)          Budget Scrutiny Working Group – Chair, Councillor Kane

b)          Performance Scrutiny Working Group – Chair, Councillor Harvey

c)           Post-16 Education Task Group – Chair, Councillor Spilsbury

Updates were provided on the meetings of Working Groups and Task Groups as follows:

a)    Budget Scrutiny Working Group – Chair, Councillor Kane

The Chair of the Budget Scrutiny Working Group reported on the meetings held on 19 August and 3 September 2026. At the August meeting, Members had received the further financial context the Medium Term Financial Plan scene setting report for 2027/28 behind and were concerned that some Assistant Directors did not have sufficient clarity about their budgets. Work was under way to review each service budget with the relevant Assistant Director before quarter two monitoring reporting. The Working Group also considered the Treasury Management Outturn Report and the Financial Monitoring and Outturn Report. Members found the capital programme difficult to scrutinise because it was not always clear which schemes were supported by existing cash, and which schemes were funded by borrowing or external funding, and further clarification regarding this would be provided i

At the September meeting, the overall corporate performance position was reviewed. The Chair of Budget Scrutiny that the position appeared strong apart from issues in Housing as discussed earlier in this meeting. The financial monitoring report was also scrutinised and the full year forecast revenue position for 2026/27 was for a revenue overspend of £738,000, with the largest pressure in Financial and Customer Services arising from agency staffing and VAT-related work. The Council was nevertheless reported to remain in a relatively stable financial position. Housing-related legal costs and the Community Investment Fund were discussed. The Chair of Budget Scrutiny reported that it was understood that the Community Investment Fund remained available, but no requests had been submitted to drawdown from this Fund.

Members discussed the relationship between Overview and Scrutiny and its Working Groups and the Audit, Governance and Standards Committee. Officers explained that scrutiny examined quarterly financial and service performance, whilst the role of Audit was in considering the systems, controls and assurance supporting the figures, including the accounts closure process. Members were encouraged to attend other committees as observers where this would improve their understanding. During discussion, it was reported in relation to financial data, that quarter two financial monitoring data would include data following service budgets reviews undertaken with Assistant Directors. Officers explained that the Audit, Governance and Standards Committee could separately seek internal audit assurance on this process.

b)    Performance Scrutiny Working Group – Chair, Councillor Harvey

The Performance Scrutiny Working Group had met on 29 July 2026. It considered the work of Bromsgrove and Redditch Network (BARN), an organisation which received substantial Council funding, including its role in matching volunteers to volunteering opportunities and supporting local services. At the meeting, Members had asked questions of the organisation’s representative and the representative had provided a presentation explaining BARN’s work and use of funding. The Working Group also considered the neighbourhood warden scheme. Positive feedback was provided on the warden’s role as an approachable link between residents and the Council, an important element in providing a visible point of contact for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40.

The following External Scrutiny bodies updates will be provided at the meeting:

a)          Worcestershire Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC) – Council Representative, Councillor Spilsbury.

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has changed its committee structure, resulting in the WMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee, and the WMCA Transport Delivery Overview and Scrutiny being replaced by ‘Local Scrutiny Committee’ – this body has no representation from non-constituent authorities of the WMCA.

Officers have approached WMCA for clarification regarding future representation of the non-constituent members at WMCA scrutiny committees.

The Committee was advised in relation to the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) that its committee structure had changed from May 2026 and that the former WMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee and WMCA Transport Delivery Overview and Scrutiny Committee no longer appeared to meet. Officers had sought clarification about the participation of elected Members from non-constituent authorities in the new structure but had not yet received a response from WMCA.

It was requested that Officers follow up the request to the West Midlands Combined Authority for clarification about the new scrutiny arrangements and the role of non-constituent authorities’ members in the new WMCA scrutiny arrangements.

Following this, an update was provided from the Council’s representative on the Worcestershire Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC). It was reported that at the last meeting of HOSC the issue of Primary Care Prevention was considered in the context of Neighbourhood Health. The Committee was advised that clinical care accounted for less than 20 per cent of health outcomes, with wider factors such as income, housing, education, employment, healthy lifestyles and social relationships responsible for most variation in health outcomes across the population.

Worcestershire’s approach to ensuring positive prevention work used three areas of work: insight and intelligence, health improvement services, and community engagement and development.

The HOSC Representative reported that at the meeting the discussion also focused particularly on Public Health community grants, where substantial funding remained unutilised and available to bid for. The HOSC Representative provided examples of Public Health funded projects within Redditch which included grant for physical activity project in Woodrow and an allotment project in Redditch designed to reduce isolation, support healthy eating, increase physical activity and help with the cost of living. Members were encouraged to promote and submit suitable applications for Public Health community grant.

The HOSC Representative also highlighted the need for support for care leavers, particularly in relation to mental health and suicide risk, and reported that despite repeated requests for information regarding the number of care leavers living in Redditch, no information had been provided to date. Members commented that considerably improved information was needed so that care leavers in Redditch could be offered tailored support community opportunities, work experience, internships and apprenticeships.

It was agreed that the Council’s representative on HOSC would contact the Public Health community grants lead about potential support for care leavers and would continue to seek information on the number of care leavers living in Redditch. Contact details for the local, Redditch, Public Health adviser would be circulated to Members.

The HOSC representative also reported on the progress that had been made across the County in several public health outcomes such as reductions in smoking during pregnancy, increased activity among older residents and a reduction of more than seven per cent in preventable mortality, which was said to compare favourably with the national position.

RESOLVED that

the External Scrutiny Bodies updates be noted.