Agenda item

The Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officerpresented the Quarter Three Revenue and Performance Monitoring 2024/25.

It was reported that overall, the Council was currently forecasting a full year revenue overspend of £138,000 at Quarter Three, an improvement of £161,000 from Quarter Two.

Several further changes were also reported from Quarter Two to Quarter Three. These were as follows:

·       An overspend in Environmental Services of £189,000 – this was largely due to an increase in Place Team spending.

·       An overspend in Financial Services of £187,000 due to agency staff costs.

·       An overspend in Planning, Regeneration and Leisure Services of £119,000 – this was mainly due to the variances on Planning Applications income compared to budget.

On 31st December 2024, the Council had £13.5m short term investments held and no short-term borrowing.

In terms of the Digital Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (DMIC) it was reported that the plans were now up and running and that a bid was underway to Birmingham City Council for the funding of £2.425m which had previously been allocated to Redditch Borough Council by the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) before being disbanded. This would help fund the DMIC project going forward.

Public Realm works were under construction and had been reported to Members previously, the Town Centre library would not now be relocated to the Town Hall Hub.

As at 31^st December 2024, the Council held £14.868m of Earmarked Reserves and £7.475m in the General Fund.

The Housing Revenue Account looked to break even for the financial year. The capital work programme would be accelerated this year as there had been some delays experienced due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Council’s Procurement Pipeline included details of contracts expected to be reprocured and new procurement projects expected to be undertaken in the future.  There were twenty-three contracts valued between £50,000 and £200,000, ten valued at over £200,000 and ten contracts procured by Redditch on behalf of Bromsgrove District Council. These ten contracts were all related to ICT.

The Policy Manager presented the Performance Measures data for Quarter Three for Members’ consideration. It was noted that this was a new way to present the data in a more user-friendly way. It would be used to assess performance and identify areas of improvement. The development of the Power BI dashboard was also underway, and Members would be able to access this via a dashboard in the future providing clear and accurate performance data.

Some measures included within the report were still under development, such as Private Housing and Freedom of Information and Subject Access Request measures due to projects currently underway in these areas. These would continue to be developed for future reports.

All measures were aligned with the Council Plan and linked into the priorities contained within it. Members were informed that the service measures had also been developed as part of the Service Business Planning Framework.

Following consideration of the report Members reported that they were pleased with the outcome of the Finance and Performance monitoring for Quarter Three. The budget pressures that had previously been identified were more positive and the clarity around the allocation of the £2.425m funding allocation from the GBSLEP was welcomed.

It was also noted by the Committee that the more detailed data provided in the performance monitoring offered a more accurate picture of what was going on in the Borough. For example, Anti-Social Behaviour monitoring was included in the report. It seemed that there had been an increase of instances of ASB, however, this had not necessarily been the case. As a new system had been implemented part way through the year which had meant more accurate data had been captured than had been previously. It was noted that tenants who behaved in an anti-social manner were dealt with appropriately and in accordance with the Tenant’s Handbook.

Members highlighted the improvement in Gas Safety and Fire Risk Assessments which were currently measured at one hundred per cent. It was hoped that these kinds of areas would continue to improve with the appointment of caretakers for the homes within the Council’s management, allowing Tenancy Officers to carry out their roles more effectively.

There were several other areas to note where improvements had been made such as the Damp and Mould Policy recently approved by Members which included the recruitment of a dedicated team to tackle damp and mould issues. It was noted that the relevant Senior Management Team Officers had worked exceptionally hard over recent months to ensure that residents received the best service possible.

Members queried the dip in residents accessing energy advice during this period. The Policy Manager suggested that it could be a seasonal trend, however, they undertook to find out further information from the relevant Officers. It was also questioned how long it took to complete the Disabled Facilities Grant works for those residents who were eligible. Officers would request this information from the relevant service area and would report back to Members accordingly.

Following the detailed consideration of this report, Members stated that it provided clear and transparent information and would provide a useful overview for residents within the Borough now and in the future. 

RECOMMENDEDthat

1)    the Balance Sheet Monitoring Position for Quarter Three be noted – which was the Treasury Monitoring Report and required to be reported to Council.

RESOLVED that

2)    The current Revenue overspend position of £138k and actions the Council were taking to mitigate this position be noted.

3)    The current Capital spending of £4.72m against a budget of £20.5m be noted.

4)    The HRA Position be noted.

5)    The updated procurements position with any new items over £200,000 to be included on the forward plan.

6)    The Quarter Three Performance data for the Period October to December 2024 be noted that this will change over the year to link into the new Administrations priorities.

7)    The Council submit a bid for £2.425m to Birmingham City Council for funding allocated to Redditch by Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership to support the Digital Manufacturing Innovation Centre.