The Finance & Performance Scrutiny committee was scheduled to review the annual performance of Hinckley Leisure Centre and examine the council's financial outturn for June 2026. The meeting was also scheduled to consider treasury management activities for the second quarter of the financial year and review the committee's forward work programme.

Hinckley Leisure Centre Annual Performance Report 2025-26

The committee was scheduled to receive an annual update on the performance of Hinckley Leisure Centre for the period April 2025 to March 2026. The report, which was to be supplemented by a presentation from the leisure contractor Places Leisure, was scheduled to detail the centre's performance under the operation of Places Leisure. The report indicated that the centre had seen a 3.4% increase in footfall and a 4.3% increase in participation compared to the previous year, with average monthly participation at 59,976 and average monthly footfall at 74,645. However, memberships across fitness, swimming, and swimming lessons were noted to have declined. The report highlighted the centre's strong health and wellbeing offer, including programmes for long-term health conditions and partnerships with local schools. Customer experience was also noted as a positive, with a Net Promoter Score of 41.9%, exceeding the company standard. The report recommended acknowledging the good performance of the leisure centre.

Financial Outturn - June 2026

The committee was scheduled to review the council's financial outturn position as at June 2026. The report was scheduled to present the General Fund budget monitoring summary, detailed variance analysis, and the Capital Programme outturn by scheme. It was also scheduled to include details of the council's current debt portfolio, a new inclusion following a peer review recommendation. The General Fund was forecast to see a £260,000 increase in costs, resulting in an estimated £188,234 transfer to balances, a decrease from the budgeted £448,234. Major service variations in excess of £50,000 were highlighted, with homelessness showing a significant variance of (£375,000) due to additional bed and breakfast pressure. The Capital Programme had seen £7,003,947 spent against a budget of £3,629,196 for the period. The Housing Revenue Account (HRA) was forecasted to be in a deficit of £457,180 against a budgeted deficit of £355,180, with employee costs contributing to an overspend due to overtime and salary costs during vacancies.

Treasury Management Quarter 2 2026/27

The committee was scheduled to be informed about the council's treasury management activities during the second quarter of 2026/27. The report indicated that these activities were in line with the limits set out in the council's Treasury Management Policy. The economic background section was scheduled to note increases in interest rates over time and provide forecasts for the Bank Rate and Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) rates. As of 30 September 2026, the council held investments totalling £3,625,000, with a weighted average return of 3.605% for the period April to September 2026, which was noted as similar to market rates. The report was also scheduled to detail borrowing activities, including the General Fund's forecast underlying need to borrow for capital purposes and the HRA's self-financing settlement. Additional borrowing of £18,000,000 in 2025-2026 and £5,000,000 for the HRA in September 2026 were noted, primarily due to the council not borrowing in prior years and existing programme commitments.

Finance & Performance Scrutiny Work Programme

The committee was scheduled to review its forward work programme for 2026/27 and 2027/28. This programme outlines the topics scheduled for future scrutiny, including budget monitoring, frontline service reviews, and quarterly updates on financial outturn, sundry debts, business rates, and performance management. Specific reviews scheduled included the Commercial Estate, the impact of Planning Committee Reform, Streetscene Services, and Environmental Health. The programme also detailed joint budget scrutiny meetings with the Scrutiny Commission and annual performance reviews for Hinckley Leisure Centre and Housing Services.