Corporate Finance and Performance Overview and Scrutiny Committee - 15 July 2025

The meeting began with a formal resolution of the minutes from the Corporate Finance and Performance Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 24 June 2025. The resolution was moved by Councillor Thomas, seconded by Councillor O’Connor, and was adopted, confirming that the minutes were correctly recorded and would be signed by the Chairman. A public question submitted by Mr G Smith of St Mabyn was read on his behalf; it asked for the Council’s target external‑debt figure for 31 March 2026 and any proposed reductions to the £1.9 billion capital programme. The Leader of the Council explained that the current administration had not yet set a target for external debt or altered the capital programme, noting that a comprehensive spending review was underway and that any decisions would be made as part of that process.

The Senior Democratic Officer presented the draft Work Programme for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for 2025/26. The Committee approved the draft as set out in Appendix 1, with the understanding that it could be amended before the December meeting by the Chairman in consultation with the Vice‑Chairmen, the Senior Responsible Officer and the Democratic Services Lead. During the discussion, members raised several points: the omission of a review of the County Farms Estate, concerns about overlap and voting rights between scrutiny committees, clarification that committees make recommendations rather than decisions, and a request for a briefing on the newly published English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. The Officer confirmed that a draft briefing paper had been prepared for Cabinet and that an all‑Member briefing was being considered before the October committee meeting.

The Service Director for Strategy and Partnerships delivered the quarterly performance report for Q4 2024/25 and a year‑end summary for 2024/25. The report showed that most directorates had met their performance targets despite financial pressures, with specific notes on the Together for Families, Sustainable Growth and Place, Safe and Caring Communities, and Customer and Corporate Services directorates. Members praised cost‑saving collaborations with the specialist transport provider Edge and requested that future reports include a preface on how performance data informs operational and scrutiny work, as well as lessons learned from under‑performance. The Chief Operating Officer confirmed that assumptions in the report would be updated following the Government’s Spending Review and the Fairer Funding consultation, with further updates to be provided at the Cabinet meeting on 30 July.

Finally, the Acting Head of Property presented a “state of the nation” report on Council asset management, outlining the Corporate Landlord model, existing service‑level asset strategies, and a new flexible corporate asset‑management plan. Discussion focused on the role of councillors in asset decisions, the definition of “local assets,” and the future of small public open spaces such as play areas when parish councils decline transfers. The Officer explained three possible outcomes for assets not taken up by parishes—decentralisation to third parties, disposal, or continued Council ownership—emphasising that disposal would be a last resort. The meeting concluded with updates from the Leader, Deputy Leader and portfolio holders, who reiterated support for meaningful devolution under the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill and expressed cross‑party agreement that the current format of Cabinet‑to‑scrutiny reporting required improvement.