The meeting will include an update from the West Midlands Combined Authority about their scrutiny and audit activity in the past year, before moving on to receive updates about Solihull Council's employees and the progress that has been made implementing fire and building regulations. Finally, the meeting will consider the work programme for the coming year.

West Midlands Combined Authority Scrutiny and Audit Annual Report 2023/24

The meeting will receive a report about the activities of the West Midlands Combined Authority's (WMCA) Overview & Scrutiny Committee and Audit, Risk & Assurance Committee in the past year.

In recent months the WMCA has been allocated further powers under a Deeper Devolution Deal. The report highlights that

With greater powers comes greater accountability.

The committees are now responsible for scrutinising the decisions made about transport in the region, for example the cancellation of the Birmingham to Manchester leg of HS2, which the Mayor, Andy Street, is currently reviewing the impact of.

The report also highlights the Government's Scrutiny Protocol which sets out the expectations of how scrutiny should be undertaken.

HR Workforce Update

The Resources and Delivering Value Scrutiny Board will receive an update about the status of Solihull Council's employees and their working environment.

The report sets out that the Council is facing unprecedented financial pressures and seeks to highlight its people as its most valuable asset. The report notes that

nothing has a bigger influence on the quality-of-service delivery and overall impact, than our culture and employee practices.

The report pack contains Solihull Council's new People Strategy for the years 2024-2029 which was published after an employee survey and consultation in July and August of this year. The report summarises the feedback received from the survey, noting that most employees find the Council a supportive place to work, but that there are concerns about career progression and a perceived lack of communication from senior management.

Follow up report – Building Safety

The meeting will consider a report on the progress that has been made in implementing fire and building safety regulations. The report highlights the Fire Safety Act 2021 which includes a requirement to inspect fire doors in multi-occupancy buildings, the sharing of information with the local fire service, and the provision of fire safety information to all residents.

The Building Safety Act 2022 introduced reforms to ensure that Higher Risk Buildings (HRBs) are safe. The report sets out how Solihull Council is complying with these new rules. The report explains that

HRBs are defined as meeting two criteria: 1) The floor surface of the building’s top storey is 18 metres or more above ground level or where the building contains more than 7 storeys. 2) Contains two or more dwellings, or 2 or more rooms used for residential purposes, or student accommodation.

Solihull Council has appointed a Head of Building Safety and Compliance to oversee the process of complying with these regulations. The report highlights that Solihull Council has now completed the installation of sprinkler systems in all of its HRBs, but that the replacement of balcony panelling on 11 buildings is currently delayed.

Resources and Delivering Value Scrutiny Board Work Programme 2024/25

The meeting will consider the Work Programme for the remainder of the 2024/25 municipal year. The report contains a number of scheduled updates on the financial performance of the council, the Solihull Town Centre Low Carbon Energy Network, the status of the Council's strategic risk register, and Mell Square, which the Council bought in 2021.

The meeting will also hear an update about the WMCA's organisational strategy and an update about the implications of Artificial Intelligence.