Agenda and minutes

No apologies were received.

Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee are asked to consider whether they have an interest in any matters on the agenda and, if so, to formally declare that interest.

There were no declarations of interest.

A period of 30 minutes has been set aside for members of the public to ask questions on matters considered at the last meeting and set out in the minutes or on the agenda for tonight’s meeting.

There were no public questions.

Questions are invited from Elected Members about items on the agenda. 15 minutes will be set aside for Member Question Time, if required.

There were no Member questions.

Minutes from the meeting held on 01^st April 2025 are attached.

That the minutes of the meeting held on 1^st April 2025 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

Councillor Sean Thorpe, Cabinet Member for Finance and Transformation, opened the meeting with a summary of the 2024/25 report. He described the year as one of both progress and disruption. A £2.5 million funding boost for Greater Manchester was secured to support infrastructure projects including a new tram stop, an interchange, and improvements to public transport. He also highlighted achievements in sustainable growth, such as affordable housing developments like Humphrey House, School Streets, and environmental initiatives like Pocket Parks.

In children’s services, school attendance improved for the third consecutive year, and social worker caseloads decreased, enhancing support for families. These gains were made despite the disruption caused by a general election and a fast-tracked local election, which diverted resources.

Councillor Thorpe acknowledged that not all planned activities were delivered, largely due to time-consuming audits and inspections from Ofsted and the CQC. However, these helped the council refocus on its corporate plan and better understand its risks. He emphasised the strength of governance, supported by six boards and a Member Assurance Group. He also noted that workforce and communication strategies had been affected by resource constraints and delays from the Department for Education.

Councillor Moss raised concerns about the council’s stance on academisation, questioning whether it truly improves outcomes for children. The response clarified that while education is vital, governance structures like academisation are less important than leadership and funding. Councillor Moss also questioned delays in the development of three special schools. Councillor Thorpe explained that the Department for Education’s commissioning process is still ongoing and acknowledged the burden placed on families when children are sent to independent provisions outside the borough.

On EHCP performance, Councillor Thorpe reported that 94% of plans were completed within the 20-week target, though a few delays had temporarily affected the overall rating. He stressed that even a single delayed case could skew the data, but overall performance remained strong.

The LET’S DO IT strategy was discussed in detail. Councillor Moss asked whether it was being formally relaunched, and Councillor Thorpe confirmed a relaunch event was scheduled for 19th June. Moss also asked whether members would be reintroduced to the strategy, which Thorpe confirmed.

Councillor Rafiq praised the 2025/26 plan for being more focused and meaningful. He highlighted the importance of the workforce strategy, which had been delayed. Kate Waterhouse, Executive Director for Strategy and Transformation, explained that work was ongoing with the interim Assistant Director for HR to finalise the strategy, which would underpin the council’s delivery plans.

Councillor Vernon asked how the new suite of performance indicators would improve reporting. Kate Waterhouse explained that the indicators were developed in collaboration with services and would be more visual and digital-friendly. Councillor Thorpe noted the difficulty in measuring real-world impact such as deprivation. Councillor Moss questioned the usefulness of KPIs without targets. Councillor Thorpe and Kate Waterhouse responded that benchmarking is used where possible, though some measures lack national comparators.

Councillor Bernstein welcomed Greater Manchester’s 3.1% economic growth and asked how Bury compared. Councillor Thorpe said  ...  view the full minutes text for item OSC.52

Scrutiny workplan report attached to discuss upcoming items for the municipal year

There was a discussion around the forward planner for the municipal year going forward, suggested items for the year are below.

Forward Planner – Overview and Scrutiny

3rd July – Highways, Operations & Service Delivery

• Finance Update
• Operations Attendance (Highways Update)

9th September – Regeneration & Planning

• Local Plan
• Regeneration updates (potential site visit?)
• Strategic Additions and Updates

25th November – Audit, Finance & Community Safety

• Audit Overview
• Finance Strategy
• Community Safety Partnership (TBC)

5th February – Budget

• Budget Overview and Scrutiny (sole focus)

10th March – Innovation, Digital & Governance

• AI in Local Government – Governance and Ethics
• Progress on Bury Directory Relaunch
  • Communication Strategy
  • AI integration
• Workforce Strategy

Any other business which by reason of special circumstances the Chair agrees may be considered as a matter of urgency.

There was no urgent business.