The Corporate Finance and Performance Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Cornwall Council was scheduled to discuss several key financial and strategic documents. These included the Treasury Management Strategy for 2026/27, the Corporate Asset Management Strategy, and the Capital and Investment Strategy. The committee was also set to review the annual Statutory Public Sector Equality Duty Return for 2026.

Treasury Management Strategy 2026/27

The committee was scheduled to consider the Treasury Management Strategy for the upcoming financial year. This strategy outlines how Cornwall Council will manage its borrowing, investments, and cash flows. It details the prudential and treasury indicators, the Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) policy, borrowing strategies, and the annual investment strategy. The report highlighted the Council's borrowing needs to fund its capital programme, which currently stands at over £2 billion, and detailed the projected Capital Financing Requirement (CFR) over several years. The strategy also addressed borrowing limits, interest rate forecasts, and the Council's approach to investments, emphasizing security, liquidity, and yield. The policy on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues within treasury management was also scheduled for discussion, noting the challenges in applying ESG criteria to short-term cash deposits.

Corporate Asset Management Strategy

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to the Corporate Asset Management Strategy (CAMS) for 2026-2029. This strategy aims to provide a unified corporate direction for managing the Council's land and property assets, ensuring they actively support service delivery, financial sustainability, housing, regeneration, and place-based outcomes. The framework is built around three lenses – Service Delivery, Value Generating, and Asset Release – and ten asset categories. The strategy seeks to optimise asset utilisation, support service transformation, enable housing delivery, advance environmental sustainability, promote community value, strengthen governance, and maximise financial efficiency. The report detailed the outcomes of workshops held to develop the strategy, including feedback on asset categorisation, stakeholder engagement, and financial implications.

Capital and Investment Strategy

The committee was also scheduled to review the draft Capital and Investment Strategy for 2026/27 to 2030/31. This strategy outlines how Cornwall Council will manage, maintain, and develop its assets, detailing the proposed £2.1 billion investment over six years. The strategy categorises investment into Sustain, Change, and Grow to reflect its purpose. It also details the funding sources for the capital programme, including prudential borrowing, grants, contributions, capital receipts, and reserves. The report highlighted the financial implications of the capital programme, including projected interest costs and Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) charges, and outlined the governance and risk management processes for capital investment decisions. The strategy also addressed the flexible use of capital receipts to fund transformation projects aimed at generating revenue savings.

Statutory Public Sector Equality Duty Return (Annual Review) 2026

The committee was to review the Council's annual Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) Return for 2026. This statutory document demonstrates the Council's compliance with the Equality Act 2010, outlining actions taken to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between different groups. The return highlighted achievements in areas such as supporting vulnerable households, the influence of Employee Forums, initiatives for race equality, support for the armed forces community, and efforts to promote men's health and wellbeing. It also detailed progress on the LGBTQIA+ Forum's work, the launch of a Carers' Forum, and the Council's response to the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of sex in the Equality Act 2010. The report included workforce equality data, noting areas for improvement in diversification and data completion rates.

Questions from Members to Cabinet Members on their reports

Members were also scheduled to ask questions of Cabinet Members regarding their respective portfolios, based on reports previously circulated. This provided an opportunity for councillors to seek clarification and further information on a range of council activities and decisions.