Agenda and minutes

Apologies are noted above

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 25^th November 2025 are attached.

That the minutes of the meeting held on 25^th November 2025 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

Report of the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Transformation is attached.

A written report from Councillor Thorpe, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Transformation, was circulated ahead of the meeting. The Chair invited Cllr Thorpe to present a brief overview of the report.

Cllr Thorpe outlined the latest budget position. He reported that the forecast funding gap at the time of reporting was £9.6m. Since quarter one, additional spending pressures of approximately £4m had emerged, notably from inflation and the National Living Wage, which were impacting staffing costs and adult social care. Coupled with rising demand pressures in both children’s and adults’ services, the overall gap at points in the year had risen towards c.£16m before mitigation. A zero?based budgeting exercise had been undertaken in a more forensic manner than previously, identifying both pressures and opportunities. To date, the Council had identified around £8.5m of savings, particularly around commissioning and within the Place Directorate, with further work under way to establish delivery detail. Members were advised that the local government finance settlement was expected on 17–18 December, and until the final figures were known the Council was prudently presenting a one?year MTFS.

Cllr Birchmore asked about the funding review referenced on page 16 and how confident officers were that the assumptions would be met. In response, Cllr Thorpe reiterated that the settlement was expected around 17–18 December and that, based on professional judgement and triangulation across several sources, current assumptions remained appropriate pending confirmation. Cllr Birchmore queried whether the National Insurance contributions funding from government was a one?off and not to be repeated in the current year. Cllr Thorpe advised that the working assumption was that fair funding and related elements would be amalgamated within the wider settlement. When asked whether the Council would be “better off” after the settlement given the new pressures, Cllr Thorpe stressed the scale of the pressures across the budget.

Cllr Moss referred to recommendation 8 and sought clarity on the consultation process: who was being consulted (public or staff) and what would happen after the consultation, noting paragraph 10 regarding the remaining budget gap and potential further budget reductions. Cllr Thorpe urged all members to participate, explaining that the consultation was open to anyone living in Bury as well as to staff. He distinguished between operational management decisions and policy choices with wider community impact, noting that the consultation aimed to encapsulate potential proposals from across the three directorates in accessible terms. Cllr Moss recorded that the consultation was running until 19 January. Cllr Vernon asked whether suggestions made during consultation that proposed alternatives to budget measures would be actively considered. Cllr Thorpe confirmed that the Council could not set the full budget until the settlement was received but was keen to hear residents’ and staff views and would listen to further proposals.

The Executive Director of Finance, Neil Kissock, added that consultation feedback would be collated in the new year and considered alongside any further proposals when setting the budget. Where consultation necessitated specific changes or additional proposals, these  ...  view the full minutes text for item OSC.83

Report from the Section 151 Officer attached

A report from Councillor Thorpe, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Transformation, was circulated ahead of the meeting. He provided a brief overview, explaining that the Council had received an unfavourable audit report and had developed an improvement plan in response. He noted that the work undertaken so far had already strengthened governance arrangements and created more robust decision?making structures.

Councillor Moss referred to page 31 of the report and asked about the workshop held in August. He queried the extent to which the outputs from that workshop were influencing the work of the Governance Boards, and whether the existence of multiple boards was genuinely improving the efficiency of decision?making or instead creating additional delays. In response, Councillor Thorpe reported that six?monthly reviews had been completed and that information from the Health and Safety Sub?Board showed that the new arrangements were not adding delays. Instead, they were elevating the quality of decision?making and providing stronger assurance. He emphasised that improvement is not a one?off exercise and that there remain areas of process that must continue to develop to improve outcomes for residents. He added that the time invested in the boards is an investment in better governance, and that the boards have already addressed key gaps and will continue to adapt as needed.

Councillor Moss then referred to Appendix 1, noting that many items on the tracker appeared to be marked as complete. He questioned whether this implied that the improvement plan was effectively finished, and how useful the tracker remained if the majority of its actions had already been delivered. Councillor Thorpe responded that although much progress had been made, the plan itself should not be seen as the final stage of improvement and further development work is expected.

Jacqui Dennis monitoring officer added that the boards are integral to ensuring good and efficient decision?making. She explained that the improvement plan had been put in place to address specific weaknesses identified during the audit, and that the boards now provide strong oversight, inputting at the right stages of the decision?making process. She confirmed that further work is expected to feed into the boards and that this will continue to align closely with Cabinet activity.

Councillor Moss asked whether there would be a further improvement plan in the future, noting that much depends on the findings of the external auditors when they return. Councillor Thorpe stated that the broader aim is to deliver better services for residents and that this work continues regardless of audit cycles.

Councillor Vernon asked whether the improvement plan would end once the auditors return or if the work would continue. Councillor Thorpe noted that some of the auditor’s conclusions may be subjective and that further action might still be required depending on their assessment.

The committee acknowledged the progress made so far and the continuing work to strengthen governance and decision?making across the organisation.

It Was agreed:

·       Update be noted

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.