The Corporate Infrastructure and Regulatory Services Scrutiny Committee met on Tuesday 21 July 2026 to review the Locality Budget Annual Report for 2025-2026 and the Treasury Management Annual Report for 2025-2026. The committee noted the Locality Budget report and agreed to undertake a survey of elected members regarding their experiences with the locality budget. They also noted the Treasury Management report.

Locality Budget Annual Report 2025-2026

The committee reviewed the Locality Budget Annual Report for 2025-2026, which detailed how the £399,900 allocated by councillors had been spent. Councillors expressed a desire for more detailed reporting on spending patterns, including the geographical spread of funds and the types of organisations receiving grants. Councillor Michael Mitchell suggested that the annual report could include more illustrative commentary on these aspects.

A discussion also arose regarding the potential to increase the £10,000 locality budget allowance per member. Councillor Nick Hookway proposed that the committee recommend to the Cabinet a review of the locality budget allowance with a view to increasing it, citing inflationary pressures and the positive impact of the fund on communities. This was met with mixed views, with some councillors, such as Councillor Victor Abbott, expressing caution due to the council's overall financial constraints. Councillor Michael Mitchell highlighted that only 22 out of 60 councillors spent their full allocation, and suggested a survey of all members to gauge their views on the locality grant before considering an increase.

Ultimately, the committee agreed on two recommendations:

1. To note the Locality Budget Annual Report.
2. That a survey be undertaken of elected members to understand the use patterns, requests, and barriers to the use of locality budgets. The results of this survey are to be brought to a future committee meeting and fed into the locality budget allocation for the 2027-2028 budget and the medium-term financial strategy.

Councillor Helen Brown, Councillor Jack Eade, Councillor Steve Keable, Councillor Andy Ketchin, Councillor Tony Stevens, Councillor Simon Rake, Councillor Michael Mitchell, Councillor Nick Hookway, Councillor Robin Julian, Councillor Debo Sellis, Councillor Victor Abbott, Councillor Mark Barry, Councillor Thomas Richardson, and Councillor Jim Cairney were noted as having spent some or all of their locality budget in the 2025-2026 financial year.

Treasury Management Annual Report 2025-2026

The committee also reviewed the Treasury Management Annual Report for 2025-2026. Councillor James Wachowski, Cabinet Member for Finance and Public Value, presented the report, highlighting a strong year for the council's treasury management. He noted that borrowing had been managed effectively, refinancing activities had delivered savings, and investment income had exceeded the budget. The council had remained within its approved prudential indicators and treasury management strategy throughout the year.

Mark Gayler, Assistant Director for Pensions and Investments, provided further detail, explaining that the minimum revenue provision charged for debt repayment was £19.03 million. He also detailed borrowing activity, stating that £22 million was borrowed to fund the 2024-2025 capital programme, but no external borrowing had been required for the 2025-2026 capital programme to date. Refinancing of loans totalling £44 million resulted in annual revenue savings of £360,000, and overall interest charges were over £1 million less than budgeted. Investment income exceeded the budget by approximately £700,000.

A key point of discussion was the High Needs Stability Grant, which is expected to cover 90% of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) deficit. Councillor Geoff Reid raised concerns about the remaining 10% and the conditions attached to the grant. It was explained that while the grant would significantly boost cash flow, the ongoing deficit in SEND expenditure remained a concern, and the government's plan for this was still awaited.

The committee noted the report and agreed to recommend that Cabinet be informed of the outturn position for 2025-2026.