The Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee is scheduled to meet on Thursday 18 June 2026 to consider a range of reports covering the council's financial performance, housing services, and its annual scrutiny review. The committee will also discuss the forward plan for key decisions and the council's work programme for the upcoming year.

2025-26 Quarter 4 Finance and Performance Improvement Report

The committee is set to review the council's financial performance and delivery against its Corporate Plan for the 2025-26 financial year. The report indicates a projected year-end overspend of £1.2 million, which is to be funded by releasing earmarked reserves. This figure represents an improvement of £4.0 million since the third quarter. The report details significant overspends in Adult Social Care (£7.5 million), Culture & Commercialisation (£0.9 million), and Children, Young People & Families (£0.8 million), with an underspend of £0.9 million in Place.

Key areas of discussion are expected to include:

• Budget, Policy & Economic Development: This section will likely cover the projected £5.2 million overspend, vacancy management strategies, and the use of reserves. It will also detail the £0.954 million in unachieved planned savings, with a significant portion attributed to Culture and Commercialisation.
• Biggest Strategic Financial Risks: The committee will examine pressures within Adult Social Care, the High Needs Block within Children's Services, and external residential placements.
• Environment, Housing & Safer Communities: Topics scheduled for discussion include trade waste targets, the financial performance of Bereavement Services, and tree planting maintenance. The report also addresses recycling rates and the challenges of contamination.
• Children, Young People & Families: This part of the report will focus on the overspend in Children's Social Care, particularly concerning out-of-authority placements, and efforts to increase in-house capacity. It will also cover the issue of non-closed Children Missing in Education (CMIEs) and the High Needs Block (HNB).
• Neighbourhoods, Planning & Public Health: Discussions are expected to cover major planning applications that have fallen below internal targets due to capacity issues, and increases in repeat safeguarding referrals and longer average case durations within Adult Social Care. The significant overspend in Adult Social Care (£7.75 million) will also be a focus.
• Fit for Purpose Council: This section will likely cover the council's performance in areas such as Freedom of Information (FOI) requests and Subject Access Requests (SARs), with particular attention to the challenges in processing SARs related to children's social care. It will also address employee-reported injuries and the council's Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) annual report.

The report also includes detailed financial outturns by directorate, a treasury management update, and information on capital programme allocations and reserves.

St. Leger Homes of Doncaster Limited (SLHD) Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) Update for Quarter 4 / Year Ended 31 March 2026

This report provides an update on the performance of St. Leger Homes of Doncaster Limited (SLHD) for the final quarter and the full financial year 2025/26. The dashboard indicates that 22 out of 31 measured KPIs met or were within tolerance of their targets.

Key areas scheduled for discussion include:

• Current Rent Arrears: Performance is reported as better than target, with arrears at 2.85% against a target of 2.95%.
• Void Rent Loss: This KPI is reported as worse than target, at 1.00% against a target of 0.80%. The report notes that this figure has been restated to exclude repair periods for acquisition properties.
• Average Days to Re-let Standard Properties: Performance is within tolerance at 25.7 days against a target of 25.0 days.
• Average Number of Nights in Hotel Accommodation: This is reported as better than target at 20.4 nights against a target of 21.0 days.
• Percentage of Settled Accommodation at Prevention Stage: Performance is better than target at 53.0% against a target of 50.0%.
• Complaints: The report details both the number of complaints and the percentage of complaints responded to within target timescales. While the number of complaints is higher than the previous year, response times remain strong.
• Tenancy Turnover: Performance is reported as meeting the target at 5.5%.
• Repairs Completion: The percentage of repairs completed at the first visit is better than target at 96.9%. However, the percentage of emergency and non-emergency repairs completed within target timescales is worse than target.
• Building Safety Compliance: KPIs for Gas, Fire, Asbestos, Legionella, and Lifts are all reported as 100%, meeting their targets.
• Electrical Safety (EICR): This KPI is reported as worse than target at 99.71% against a target of 100%, with 58 properties outstanding.
• Sickness Absence: The KPI is reported as within tolerance at 10.7 days per FTE against a target of 10.0 days.
• Percentage of Local Revenue Expenditure: This KPI is reported as worse than target at 58% against a target of 70%.
• Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB): The number of ASB cases per 1,000 properties is better than target at 54.4, and the number of ASB cases involving hate incidents is also better than target at 0.8.
• Tenants Helped into Training, Education or Employment: Performance is better than target at 117 against a target of 100.
• Percentage of Homes Not Meeting Decent Homes Standard: This is reported as worse than target at 7.8% against a target of 3.0%.
• Tenant Satisfaction: Satisfaction with overall service and repairs service are reported as within tolerance, but slightly lower than the previous year.

The report also includes tenant satisfaction measures from perception surveys and Housemark benchmarking data.

Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2025/2026

This report presents the draft Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report for 2025/26, summarising the activities undertaken by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee (OSMC) and its four Standing Panels. The report highlights the function's work in monitoring service delivery, reviewing policy, considering public concerns, and providing a critical challenge to the Executive. It details achievements and impacts, including contributions from the public and partners. The report also outlines the priorities for Overview and Scrutiny in 2026/27, including continued financial and performance monitoring, pre-decision scrutiny of key policy issues, and specific consideration of the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport. The committee is asked to endorse this report before its presentation to Full Council.

Overview and Scrutiny Work Plan 2026/27

The committee will consider the proposed Overview and Scrutiny work programme for 2026/27. This includes agreeing the work plan, noting the Council's Forward Plan of key decisions, and reviewing the Terms of Reference for the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee for South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. The work plan aims to ensure that scrutiny activities remain relevant and address important issues for citizens, with a focus on openness, transparency, and accountability. The report also highlights the ongoing work of the OSMC and its standing Panels, including specific topics for review such as the Youth Justice Plan, SEND reform, and issues related to housing and community safety. The Forward Plan of Key Decisions for July to October 2026 is also attached for the committee's consideration.