Councillor Marc Francis

Budget Meeting, Council - Wednesday, 26th February, 2025 7.00 p.m.

The Council agreed to approve the 2025/26 budget report and the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) 2025-28. It was also agreed to adopt the Treasury Management Strategy Statement, Investment Strategy Report and Capital Strategy Report for 2025-26. The Member Allowance Scheme for 2025/26 was also approved.

Housing & Regeneration Scrutiny Sub Committee - Monday, 24th February, 2025 6.30 p.m.

At this meeting, the committee heard reports about the performance of social landlords in the borough, the resident engagement work of the Tenants' Voice Panel, and how the council is working to ensure compliance and regulation regarding fire safety and treating damp and mould.

Extraordinary - , Audit Committee - Monday, 24th February, 2025 6.30 p.m.

This meeting has been postponed.

Human Resources Committee - Wednesday, 5th February, 2025 6.30 p.m.

The meeting discussed the performance of the council's Children's Services, the ongoing recruitment of senior staff, and a quarterly review of employee relations casework. A proposal by Councillor Abu Choundry, seconded by Councillor Shafiur Ahmed, that the membership of the council's Appointment Subcommittee be increased from 5 to 6 members and that the chair of the committee be an executive member, passed despite advice from the council's Monitoring Officer against doing so.

Reserve Budget Meeting, Overview & Scrutiny Committee - Tuesday, 4th February, 2025 6.30 p.m.

The Committee reviewed additional information on the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) and the capital programme budgets that had been approved at the Cabinet meeting on 29th January 2025. It was agreed to refer queries about repairs and maintenance, and the Council's contract for this work, to the Housing and Regeneration Scrutiny Sub-Committee. The Committee will then monitor the work of the Sub-Committee and provide feedback to the Executive. The Committee also requested further information from the Executive about the timeline for the spending of the £140 million allocated to the HRA for improvements to the existing housing stock, including new windows, bathrooms, and kitchens. Finally, the Committee requested clarity on the process of bringing temporary accommodation in-house.