The Corporate and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel met on Monday 20 October 2025 to discuss the future of County Hall and the provision of secondary school places in Worcester City. The panel also reviewed the council's performance and budget monitoring for the first quarter of the 2025/26 financial year.

County Hall Site Options and Disposal

The panel received an update on the proposed disposal of the County Hall site, with the exception of land retained for car parking. Cabinet had previously declared County Hall surplus to requirements and agreed in principle to its disposal, with a report to Cabinet on 23 October 2025 outlining the final recommendations. The disposal process is expected to take until 2028-29 to complete.

Worcester City Secondary Education Sufficiency and Place Planning

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to discussing the growing need for secondary school places in Worcester City. Forecasts indicate a requirement for an additional 120 places per year group from 2029, driven by housing development. Several options were considered:

• Newtown Road Site: Cabinet was recommended to stop further work on the proposed new secondary school at Newtown Road due to escalating costs, estimated at £63.3 million. This decision would result in a reduction of £33.6 million in borrowing.
• Expansion of Existing Schools: The panel heard that only Bishop Perowne CofE College is currently able to expand, by one form of entry (30 places per year group) for September 2029. Other Worcester City secondary schools were deemed unable to expand due to various constraints. Continued work will investigate expansion options at other secondary schools in Worcester, Malvern, Upton, Martley, and Pershore Education Planning Areas.
• County Hall Site for Education: A feasibility study concluded that using the County Hall site for education purposes, whether for a new standalone secondary school or as a satellite site for Nunnery Wood High School, was not financially viable. Options for a new 4FE (120 places per year group) secondary school on the County Hall site were estimated to cost around £43.1 million (RIBA Stage 1 costs), and a satellite site for Nunnery Wood was deemed operationally challenging by the school. A new SEN school on the County Hall site was estimated at £24.1 million, exceeding available High Needs capital provision.
• Other Secondary School Options: Dyson Perrins CofE Academy and Pershore High School in Malvern are forecast to have surplus capacity that could accommodate some Worcester City pupils. The Chase in Malvern could also be expanded. However, utilising these schools would likely increase home-to-school transport costs and reduce parental preference.

Concerns were raised by councillors about the financial implications of not building a new school, the potential impact on children's well-being due to increased travel times, and the lack of a clear long-term strategic plan for education provision across Worcestershire, particularly in light of significant housing growth.

Performance and 2025/26 In-Year Budget Monitoring

The panel received an update on the council's performance and financial position for the first quarter of the 2025/26 financial year.

• Registration Services: Performance in registering births and deaths within statutory timescales was generally good, with death registrations showing a slight deterioration in the first quarter but remaining within acceptable limits.
• Communications and Consumer Relations: Staff engagement was reported as improving, with four priority strategic areas identified to guide future action plans.
• HR, ICT and Corporate Information Governance: The Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) employee count had increased, primarily due to the reintegration of Children's Services. Sickness rates were a concern, showing a national trend of increase, although short-term sick days had decreased. Staff turnover had also increased, partly attributed to retirements and increased employment options for staff. Agency staff costs remained steady as a percentage of the pay bill.
• Libraries: Library visits were slightly down compared to the previous year, but e-book and e-audiobook issues continued to be strong. Efforts are ongoing to increase engagement across all demographics.
• Museum Visits: County Museum visits showed a slight decrease, but visits by children had increased as a percentage of the total. Income from school admissions was notably higher.
• Countryside Standards Achieved: Performance dipped slightly in the first quarter, primarily due to an instance of fly-tipping, but all three sites retained their Green Flag status.
• Bikeability Training: Level 2 training for children showed a decrease in participation compared to the previous year, attributed partly to instructor vacancies. However, training for younger children (Balance, Learn to Ride, and Level 1) saw a significant increase.
• Financial Position: The council's overall financial position for the first quarter indicated a breakeven after utilising £11.6 million of reserves and receiving £33.6 million in Exceptional Financial Support. However, significant overspends were predicted in demand-led services like Adult and Children's Social Care. The council's reserves are projected to decrease, with only £13 million deemed unearmarked and usable. The Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) faces significant pressure due to high needs expenditure, forecasting an £86.2 million overspend for 2025/26. The capital programme is substantial, with a significant portion funded externally, but a review is underway to consider reductions in borrowing for several schemes. Central services and corporate budgets showed forecast underspends, which helped to offset the overall overspend.

Refresh of the Scrutiny Work Programme 2025/26

The panel reviewed suggestions for its 2025/26 Work Programme. Key proposed future scrutiny items included: Worcestershire's Volunteers, Libraries Update, Communication Policies for Social Media, Revised Workforce Strategy (including DEI), Review of Museums, Arts and Culture Strategy, Household Support Fund, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Review of Members' Case Management System, Implementation of Archives and Archaeology Strategy, and Responding to Legislative Changes in Registration Services. Standing items such as Budget Scrutiny and Performance Monitoring were also noted.

The panel agreed to recommend that Cabinet reconsider the decision on County Hall until February, when a full sufficiency report would be available, including analysis of home-to-school transport costs versus savings. They also recommended that well-being aspects be considered as important as economic factors, and that other projects that could be written off be examined to make the delivery of a new secondary school more viable. A full briefing on all options was also recommended.

The panel also requested further information on long-term sickness data, an action plan for staff engagement, sickness, and turnover, and a detailed review of bikeability training data. A request was made for a strategic assessment of education provision across Worcestershire, including a full business case for school provision versus home-to-school transport costs. The panel also sought clarification on the potential loss of Section 106 funding if the new secondary school project was cancelled.

Finally, the panel requested a list of railway schemes that were not proceeding, along with their associated costs, and clarification on the cost of improvements to access at Redditch, Bromsgrove, and Alf Church stations. The panel also expressed confusion regarding the financial figures presented for school provision and the rationale for not pursuing certain options, particularly for SEN schools.