The Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee met on Wednesday 8 January 2025 to scrutinise the draft 2025/26 budget and review the Council Strategy. The committee discussed the proposed budget across various directorates, including Adult Social Care, Children and Families, Fire and Rescue, Environment, and Corporate Resources, with a focus on financial standing, risks, and proposed investments and efficiencies. Key decisions included noting the draft budget proposals and providing feedback to the Leader of the Council.

Scrutiny of the Draft 2025/26 Budget and Review of Council Strategy

The committee's primary focus was the scrutiny of the draft 2025/26 budget and a review of the Council Strategy. Cllr Stephen Davies, Leader of the Council, presented a budget demonstrating the council's solvency and ability to invest, attributing this to sound financial management. The proposed budget showed an additional investment of £32.7 million, bringing the total to almost £650 million, a figure noted as unusual given the financial challenges faced by many other councils. The Chief Executive, Pete Bungard, highlighted the council's robust financial management, noting that services like Children's Services were no longer in overspend due to strategic investments, such as in Quayside House and Javelin Park.

A key concern raised was the ongoing Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficit, identified as a significant national problem with future risks for councils. Nina Philippidis, Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director of Corporate Resources, provided an overview of the financial context. Members discussed how climate and ecology were integrated into all council decisions rather than being a separate budget priority. The impact of the government's Devolution White Paper was also considered, with the consensus being that the council must continue to function robustly in its current form.

Adult Social Care and Communities

Cllr Carole Allaway-Martin, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, presented proposals for an 8.5% increase in spend, amounting to an additional £17.5 million. This increase is intended to support people in living independently through a range of services, with support for working-age and lifelong disabled adults being the largest area of expenditure. The net spend is projected to grow by 21% to £224.7 million, with additional funds allocated for staff pay inflation, growing the staff base, supporting the move from institutionalised care to community care, providing inflationary uplifts to the independent adult social care sector, increasing budgets for older people's care, and establishing three specialist adult care homes in Gloucestershire.

Cllr Mark Hawthorne, Cabinet Member for Public Health, outlined the budget for Public Health and Communities, totalling £37.3 million. This includes a £27.2 million ring-fenced public health grant from the government, with a projected 2% uplift. The budget aims to address pressures from salaries under the 'Agenda for Change' national agreement, utilising public health reserves to offset immediate costs. Additional funding has been confirmed for domestic abuse support (£1.1 million) and for the second year of the 'smoke free generation' plans (£761,000).

During the question session, concerns were raised about high staff sickness rates in Adult Social Care, the benchmarking of Self-Directed Support and Direct Payments, and the allocation of new grant funding towards addressing the rise in youth vaping. The committee also discussed the impact of nutritional meals on health outcomes and the council's previous funding of initiatives like Feeding Gloucestershire.

Children and Families

Cllr Paul McLain, Cabinet Member for Children's Safeguarding, presented the budget proposals for Children's Services, which aim to deliver better value and improved outcomes by intervening earlier. The headline figure for Children's Services is an increase to a budget of £140 million for 2025/26. Revenue increases include £882,000 for fostering, adoption, and Special Guardianship Orders allowances, £52,000 for support living allowances and personal assistance, £214,000 for the PAUSE project, and £73,000 for further rollout of Mockingbird constellations. An additional £2 million is allocated to the SEND service for educational psychology capacity, EHCP provision, and independent advice for parents and carers. Efficiencies are expected from reduced demand for external placements, a reduction in agency staff, and Early Help efficiencies. The capital budget will see investment in school capacity, building conditions, special school places, and local children's homes.

Discussions included a query about a previous budget amendment concerning foster carer home improvements, which was explained as being scoped and drafted with safeguards in place. The need for 458 additional special school places by 2028 was noted, with various provisions in place for children awaiting placement. The aspiration to roll out early years' centres across the county was confirmed, and the impact of National Insurance and National Living Wage increases on the early years workforce was discussed. Members also raised concerns about funding for the McAlister Review recommendations and the support available for parents accessing SEND provision. The budget's support for young carers and the disproportionate representation of the BAME community within youth justice and care were also discussed.

Fire and Rescue Scrutiny

Cllr Dave Norman, Cabinet Member for Fire, Community Safety and Libraries, presented the budget proposals for Community Safety, with a significant portion of investment directed towards the Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service (GFRS). For 2025/26, a net revenue investment of £1.669 million is proposed for GFRS, covering staffing, service improvement, training, and equipment. The overall community safety revenue budget is set to increase by 6.47% to £27.34 million. Capital investment proposals include £1.8 million for decontamination systems, response system upgrades, and replacement of 4x4 water rescue capability.

Questions focused on emission improvements, with the service already incorporating hybrid and electric vehicles. The increasing reliance on the fire service for flood events was discussed, with acknowledgement that national funding is insufficient for major roles in such responses. Maternity pay arrangements for firefighters were also raised, with clarification that Gloucestershire's 6-month provision is standard nationally.

Environment Scrutiny Committee

Cllr David Gray, Cabinet Member for Environment, Economy and Planning, presented the Directorate Plans and Budget Proposals for Economy, Environment and Infrastructure. The budget includes funding for the continued rollout of 1 million trees across the county and 1000 electric vehicle charge points. It also covers upgrades to Household Recycling Centres and infrastructure projects like M5 Junctions 9 and 10. A £52,000 commitment to the Social Value Portal was noted. Highways will continue to focus on preventative work, with an annual investment of £450,000 in the Highways Transformation Programme. Additional resources will address adverse weather events, and the Highways Local Spend for members has been protected. Capital allocations include an additional £3 million over four years for the highways network and £9 million for structures. Government funding has been secured for 58 new electric buses and expansion of 'The Robin' bookable bus service. Community libraries will receive a £2000 uplift each, and £112,000 is allocated for Open+ technology rollout. £55,000 is allocated for a replacement road safety data management system, and £100,000 for the Community Speedwatch Programme.

Questions raised concerned the impact of a proposed 3% increase in parking charges on resident parking schemes, the adequacy of funding for the Traffic Regulation Order backlog, and clarification on the funding for the M5 Junction 10 project. The progress and funding of the Cycle Spine project were discussed, as was the lack of reference in the budget to an imminent tax on incinerator emissions. The development of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy and the budget narrative for public transport were also points of discussion.

Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Core Council)

Cllr Lynden Stowe, Cabinet Member for Finance and Property, and Cllr Stephan Fifield, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Transformation and Change, presented the Directorate Plans and Budget Proposals for Corporate Resources. Key points included a restructure of the Children's legal team saving £128,000, plans to employ a specialist employment lawyer saving nearly £150,000 by 2026/27, and £1.25 million savings over four years by creating efficiencies in the GCC Estate, including leasing Shire Hall. A predicted 6% reduction in employer contributions to the Local Government Pension Scheme could save £7.5 million. The council is moving from legacy software to cloud-based Microsoft products, saving £150,000 in 2025/26 and £100,000 in 2026/27. An investment of £731,000 is planned for 2025/26 to support becoming a data-driven organisation, with a further £1.6 million for ICT equipment and £240,000 for laptop and hardware replacement. A member questioned whether the Treasury Management Ethical Investment Policy extended to organisations the council invested in, with the Cabinet Member agreeing to investigate and report back.

Summary and Feedback

The committee provided feedback to the Chief Executive and Leader of the Council. Comments included a need for budget papers to offer more narrative on ground-level activities and future plans, the ongoing DSG deficit and SEND provision being a significant risk outside the council's direct control, and insufficient resource allocation for climate and nature commitments. The Chair confirmed that the minutes would be considered by Cabinet on 29 January 2025.

The meeting concluded at 16:00.