The Scrutiny Co-ordination and Strategic Improvement Scrutiny Panel met to discuss the council's performance, future plans, and the use of technology. Councillors reviewed the corporate performance report for the first quarter of 2025/26, received an overview of the development of the Tameside Borough Plan 2026-2030, and discussed how customer contacts and complaints are handled. The panel also examined the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies within the council and received an update on scrutiny activity.

Corporate Performance Report - Quarter 1 2025/26

The panel met with Councillor Hugh Rodrick, Executive Member (Finance and Resources), Harry Catherall, Chief Executive, and Zoe Evans, Acting Strategic Director of Finance, to review the Corporate Performance Report - Quarter 1 2025/26. The report presented corporate performance data for each of the council's directorates, along with a summary of notable observations.

Key discussion points included:

• Corporate Services: An increase of 10.6 in full time equivalent positions since the last quarter, and a decrease in agency staffing costs. Staff turnover was reported as 13.15%, which was considered to be within a healthy range.
• Finance: The council had achieved 13.2% of planned savings by the end of Q1, which is equivalent to more than £3 million. In-year collection of council tax and non-domestic rates was in line with the end of Q1 last year.
• Adults: 46.9% of contacts into Adults' Social Care were resolved at the front door, before the point of assessment.
• Children's Services: Referrals to children's social care that were re-referrals within 12 months decreased from 26.5% to 20.5%. However, 38% of children experienced three or more changes of social worker within 12 months, which remains significantly higher than the service target of 15%.
• Housing, Environment, and Estates: The number of fly-tipping incidents reported decreased by 43%.
• Growth: 100% of major planning decisions were made on time.
• Public Health: The rate at which pregnant women were smoking at the time of delivery rose slightly to 5.2%, but remains below the national ambition of 6%.

Developing a Borough Plan 2026-2030

The panel met with Councillor Eleanor Wills, Executive Leader, and Amy Foots, Assistant Director of Policy, Strategy and Change, to discuss the development of the Borough Plan 2026-2030. The plan will set strategic priorities for the people and places of Tameside over the coming years, informed by engagement with residents and stakeholders.

The development of the Borough Plan will be overseen by a multiagency stakeholder group. A series of engagement activities are proposed, including:

• Early engagement session with the cabinet
• Stakeholder mapping to identify groups and organisations to invite to the initial multi-agency engagement event
• Nine Cabinet in your Community sessions
• Partnership Engagement Network (PEN)
• Tameside Equalities Together
• Youth Council
• Locally-hosted Resident Survey
• Staff engagement via established staff network / engagement mechanisms

Understanding Customer Contacts and Learning from Complaints

The panel met with Councillor Hugh Roderick, Executive Member (Finance and Resources), and Julie Speakman, Head of Executive Support, to receive an update on how the council deals with customer contacts and complaints. The Understanding our Customer Contacts and Learning from our Complaints Report provided a summary of complaints received by the organisation, those that escalated to a statutory panel and/or the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman¹, and how the review and management of these contacts can help drive system improvement.

Key points from the report included:

• The council received a total of 1230 complaints, of which 990 were dealt with at Stage 1 and 225 were addressed at Stage 2. 15 complaints progressed to Stage 3.
• 73% of Stage 1 complaints and 60% of Stage 2 complaints were responded to within the prescribed timescale.
• The main reasons for complaints were: quality or failure of service, quality of service not to the standard expected, lack of communication, and payment or disputed charges.
• The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman received a total of 92 complaints and enquiries, and upheld 84% of cases.

The Use of AI and Digital Technologies

The panel met with Councillor Hugh Roderick, Executive Member (Finance and Resources), and Ridhwaan Hafezji, Assistant Director of ICT and Digital, to discuss the use of AI and Digital Technologies within the council. The report provided information to help the Scrutiny Panel better understand AI and Digital Technologies, how these technologies are being used to support staff and residents, the decisions made to date around AI and Digital Technologies implemented, and a progress update on the programme.

The report outlined how AI and digital technologies can be used to:

• Improve service delivery and cost avoidance
• Support decision-making and analytics
• Manage risk
• Drive innovation
• Personalise services

The report also highlighted the importance of the responsible use of AI, and outlined the AI policy that has been developed to manage the associated risks.

Update on Scrutiny Activity

Councillor Michael Smith, Chair of the Scrutiny Co-ordination and Strategic Improvement Scrutiny Panel, presented a report providing an update on scrutiny activity for the 2025/26 municipal year. The Update on Scrutiny Activity Report - 15 September 2025 offered strategic oversight of the work undertaken by the council's three service-based Scrutiny Panels: Place and External Relations, Children's Services, and Health and Adult Social Care.

The report provided an overview of the meetings convened by the Scrutiny Panels during June and July 2025, highlighting the salient points, and outlined the items scheduled for consideration in the September 2025 cycle. The report also provided an update on the scrutiny reviews that are underway.

Scrutiny Work Programme

The panel received a report setting out the planned agenda items for the Scrutiny Panel's future meetings and Forward Plan items that fall within the remit of the Scrutiny Panel. The Scrutiny Work Programme Report noted the planned/outstanding agenda items and relevant entries in the September 2025 Forward Plan, and decisions taken in the period since the last meeting.