The Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Cheltenham Borough Council met on 29 September 2025 to discuss several key issues, including preventative maintenance of council assets, flood risk management, and the committee's annual report. Councillor Tabi Joy, Chair of Overview and Scrutiny, was scheduled to chair the meeting. The committee also planned to review its work plan for the upcoming year.

Preventative Maintenance on Council Assets and Community Leased Buildings

Louise Eite, Head of Property Management and Decarbonisation, was scheduled to present a report outlining the council's approach to planned and reactive maintenance of its assets. The report, titled Preventative Maintenance on Council Assets and Community Leased Buildings, noted that the council's land and property portfolio had a net book value of £563.317 million in the 2024/25 draft statement of accounts. This figure excludes vehicles, plant, and equipment.

The council's assets were divided into several categories:

• Operational assets (£157.543 million)
• Community assets (£0.319 million)
• Investment assets and other (£62.297 million)
• Residential housing (£280.775 million)
• Surplus or development assets (£51.83 million)
• Infrastructure assets (£10.553 million)

The report detailed the responsibilities of the council for health and safety compliance, reactive repairs, and planned maintenance for each asset category. For operational and community assets, the council is responsible for fire safety, water safety, electrical safety, gas safety, air handling systems, lift safety, asbestos management, and security systems. Reactive repairs are identified through asset inspections and reports from council teams, Ubico, and The Cheltenham Trust (TCT). Planned maintenance includes assets across the town, such as those operated by TCT and Ubico, pavilions, public toilets, parks, open spaces, bridges, and the Honeybourne Line.

For investment properties, the responsibilities of the council depend on the terms of the lease. Some properties are leased on a full repairing covenant, where the tenant is responsible for all repairs and statutory compliance. Others are leased on an internal repairing covenant, where the tenant is responsible for internal repairs and compliance only, with the council retaining responsibility for external walls and the roof.

The annual budget for planned maintenance is £600,000. The property management team produces a prioritised programme of planned maintenance works, informed by condition survey data, reactive repair data, and stakeholder engagement. Appendix 2 of the report included the planned maintenance programme for each budget from 2020/21 to 2025/26.

The report also identified several actions to improve existing processes for planned maintenance, reactive repairs, and compliance in buildings the council owns but does not directly occupy. These include:

• A monitoring regime of buildings leased to third parties, including reviewing and categorising investment property leases, risk rating properties where compliance activity falls within the council's remit, and undertaking physical inspections at agreed intervals with the tenant.
• Production of a five-year planned maintenance programme, including reviewing existing condition survey data, commissioning new condition surveys where required, and bringing together all building data to produce a costed forward plan of required maintenance.

The Asset Management Strategy 2022/23 to 2026/27 was also included in the report pack. The strategy outlines the principles and framework that underpin decisions to make the best use of the council's assets. It sets out the approach to review the strategic purpose of the asset portfolio, establish a framework to monitor the performance of the portfolio, and outline the governance arrangements for asset rationalisation, development, investment, and construction decisions.

Flood Risk Management and Prevention

James Mogridge, Flood Risk and Planning Engineer, was scheduled to present a report on partnership working to improve flood mitigation in the borough. The report, titled Flood Risk Management Partnership Working September 2025, noted that flooding can cause damage to property and infrastructure, and that climate change is expected to increase the frequency and severity of extreme weather events such as flooding. Cheltenham is identified nationally as a flood risk area, and the River Chelt through Charlton Kings has been designated as a rapid response catchment by the Environment Agency.

The report identified the Risk Management Authorities (RMAs) who operate in Cheltenham:

1. Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) - the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA).
2. The Environment Agency.
3. Cheltenham Borough Council.
4. Severn Trent Water.
5. Gloucestershire County Council – Highways.

The CBC flood risk management team consists of 1.4 full time equivalent (flood risk engineer and climate and flooding support officer) and are part of the CBC Climate, flooding and decarbonisation team. The team collaborates with other council departments including planning, emergency planning, greenspaces, and property.

The report summarised how CBC works collaboratively with RMA partners and other organisations involved with flood risk management, and included case studies of successful partnership outcomes. It noted that the Gloucestershire RMA network meets quarterly to combine resources, share learning, and deliver on common objectives. Mitigations since the 2007 floods implemented by the Gloucestershire RMA network are summarised in Appendix A of the report.

The report also noted that CBC coordinates a volunteer network of Flood wardens, with support from Gloucestershire Rural Community Council. The network currently has 14 volunteers, with a target to recruit and grow the network to support vulnerable residents.

One case study included in the report was the Warden Hill flood risk management working group. The group was conceived by Borough Councillors and meets 2-4 times a year. Meetings are attended by Councillors (County, Borough and Parish), the local highways manager, CBC and GCC flood risk management, and Severn Trent Water. The meetings have been successful in ensuring actions relating to asset maintenance, surveys and improvements are completed.

The report encouraged councillors to utilise and share the council's 'Who does what' leaflet, which is available online¹. It also noted that incidents of flooding should be reported using GCC's Flood online reporting tool².

Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report

Councillor Jackie Chelin, Vice-Chair, was scheduled to present the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report April 2024—March 2025. The report provided an overview of the committee's work during the municipal year, including key topics scrutinised, updates from task groups and representatives on county-wide scrutiny groups, and the committee's work plan for the upcoming year.

The report highlighted the work of the Budget Scrutiny Working Group (BSWG), which monitors council spending and examines incoming budget proposals. In the last year, the group examined and commented on the 2025-26 Housing Revenue Account budget proposals, the General Fund Revenue and Capital Budget Proposals 2025-26, and the CBC Financial Out-Turn Report 2023-24.

The report also highlighted the work of the Scrutiny Task Group Housing Transition, which was established in 2023 to oversee the transition of Cheltenham Borough Homes to the 'in-house' provision of CBC Housing Services. The group received and commented on the housing integration action plan, contributed to the creation of a consultation framework to develop a Tenant Offer, and considered the development of the future governance framework.

Other key topics scrutinised by the committee during the year included:

• Ubico
• Local Enforcement Plan
• Progress report: 2023 Planning Peer Review
• Gloucestershire Airport
• Grants Policy
• Biodiversity Duty First Consideration Report
• Air Quality Update
• Understanding Barriers to Affordable Housing Delivery
• Devolution/ Local Government Reorganisation
• 2025-26 General Fund and Housing Revenue Account Budget Proposals
• Temporary Closure of Household Recycling Centre (HRC)
• Golden Valley Social Value Strategy
• Reconciling the challenges of heritage protection with sustainability measures
• Interim Collections Development Policy 2025-27

The report also included summaries of meetings of the Gloucestershire Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the Gloucestershire Economic Strategy Scrutiny Committee, and the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel, provided by councillors who attend those meetings.

Review of Scrutiny Workplan

The committee was scheduled to consider and approve the draft scrutiny work plan for 2025/26. The work plan included a range of topics for future scrutiny, including:

• Preventative Maintenance on council assets and Community Leased Buildings
• Flood Risk Management and Prevention
• Draft Procurement Strategy
• Culture Board
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) policy
• Youth Engagement
• Empty Homes
• Safeguarding – Safety for Women and Girls in the Borough
• Update on the Golden Valley Social Value Strategy
• Devolution