The Cabinet of Tendring Council met on Friday 23 October 2026, approving adjustments to the 2026/27 budget and adopting a new Housing Competence and Conduct Policy. The meeting also reviewed the Council's financial performance and forecast.

Financial Performance Report 2026/27

The Cabinet reviewed the Council's financial performance for the 2026/27 budget as of the end of July 2026. The General Fund Revenue Account was reported to be underspent by £3.669m against the profiled budget. This position was attributed, in part, to the timing of expenditure and Government reimbursements for housing benefit claims.

Key decisions made regarding the budget included:

• Noting the Council's in-year financial position at the end of July 2026.
• Approving proposed adjustments to the 2026/27 budget, including:
  • A budget adjustment of £0.540m for Housing Capacity/Restructure, with officers requested to provide updates in future reports.
  • Acceptance of £0.270m in grant funding from the Government's Playground Fund, with a delegation to the Corporate Director Operations and Delivery, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Public Realm, to confirm or amend allocations.
  • A budget adjustment of £0.100m for Investment in Public Conveniences, with a delegation to the Corporate Director Operations and Delivery, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Assets and Community Safety, to allocate the funding.
  • A budget adjustment of £0.400m for project delivery capacity, with a delegation to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Governance, to allocate the funding.
  • Approval for the reallocation of funding within existing CRP2 schemes, with a delegation to the Deputy Chief Executive, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Regeneration and Tourism, to undertake necessary governance activities.
• Noting the updated financial forecast from 2027/28 onwards and requesting officers to develop it alongside the Council's priorities.
• Inviting the views of the Resources and Service Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the report and the Council's wider financial position.

Councillor Mark Stephenson, Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Corporate Finance & Governance, highlighted the Council's prudent and adaptable approach to financial management, noting that the financial forecast would be refreshed over a four-year period to account for the uncertainty surrounding the Local Government Reorganisation programme. He also confirmed that a response to the resolution agreed at Full Council regarding Local Government Reorganisation costs would be provided in the next financial update.

Housing Competence and Conduct Policy

The Cabinet formally adopted the Housing Competence and Conduct Policy. This policy establishes a framework to ensure that staff and service providers possess the necessary knowledge, skills, experience, and behaviours to deliver high-quality landlord services, aligning with the Regulator of Social Housing's Competence and Conduct Standard.

The policy was developed with input from tenants, focusing on themes of respectful treatment, being listened to, empathetic responses, and clear communication. It covers recruitment, induction, learning and development, professional qualifications, appraisal, performance management, and tenant oversight.

The key decisions made were:

• Formal adoption of the Housing Competence and Conduct Policy for implementation.
• Delegation of authority to the Corporate Director (Operations and Delivery) to make future updates or amendments to the policy in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing.
• Requirement for the policy to be reviewed annually during the implementation of the Competence and Conduct Action Plan, and no later than October 2027, unless an earlier review is prompted by tenant feedback.

Councillor Andy Baker, Portfolio Holder for Housing & Planning, emphasised that the policy was crucial for meeting regulatory requirements and ensuring tenants received safe, respectful, fair, and consistent services. He noted that tenant feedback had been incorporated and that ongoing consultation would continue.

Announcements

Leader of the Council: Councillor Mark Stephenson announced that the Council's insurance arrangements had been modified to extend the contract for one year to 30 September 2027, with a full competitive procurement exercise to be undertaken as soon as practicable. This decision was made under the Special Urgency procedure, with the agreement of the Chairman of the Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Cabinet Members:

• Councillor Gary Scott, Portfolio Holder for Arts, Culture and Heritage, reported on the success of the 'Connect Tendring' newsletter, which now has around 450 subscribers. He highlighted increased National Lottery Project Grants investment in Tendring and encouraged councillors to subscribe.
• Councillor Adrian Smith, Portfolio Holder for the Environment & ICT, praised the successful introduction of the expanded kerbside recycling service, noting that the weight of material collected from green boxes had more than doubled in the initial weeks. He thanked officers and Veolia for their work in delivering this significant improvement.