Agenda and draft minutes

To receive and note apologies for absence.

Apologies were received and noted from Councillors Ayre, Merrett, Perrett, Taylor and Watson.  They were substituted by Councillors Healey, Moroney, Clarke, Myers and Vassie respectively.

At this point in the meeting, Members and co-opted members are asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary interest, or other registerable interest, they might have in respect of business on this agenda, if they have not already done so in advance on the Register of Interests. The disclosure must include the nature of the interest.

An interest must also be disclosed in the meeting when it becomes apparent to the member during the meeting.

[Please see attached sheet for further guidance for Members]

Members were asked to declare at this point in the meeting any disclosable pecuniary interests or other registrable interests that they might have in the business on the agenda, if they had not already done so in advance on the Register of Interests.

None were declared.

To approve the minutes of the Corporate Services, Climate Change and Scrutiny Management meeting held on 4 November 2024.

Resolved: That the minutes of the last Corporate Services, Climate Change and Scrutiny Management Committee Call-in meeting, held on 4 November 2024, be approved as a correct record.

At this point in the meeting members of the public who have registered to speak can do so. Members of the public may speak in relation to the agenda item only at this meeting.

Please note that our registration deadlines have changed to 2 working days before the meeting, in order to facilitate the management of public participation at our meetings.  The deadline for registering at this meeting is 5:00pm on 30 April 2026. 

To register to speak please visit www.york.gov.uk/AttendCouncilMeetings to fill in an online registration form.  If you have any questions about the registration form or the meeting, please contact Democratic Services.  Contact details can be found at the foot of this agenda.

Webcasting of Public Meetings

Please note that, subject to available resources, this meeting will be webcast including any registered public speakers who have given their permission. The meeting can be viewed live and on demand at www.york.gov.uk/webcasts.

It was reported that there had been two registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

Ben French spoke on housing delivery and energy standards. He highlighted the benefits of passive house homes, particularly lower energy bills and improved living conditions. He questioned the evidence behind reducing standards, including market interest, affordability assumptions, and the impact on overall housing numbers. He also raised concerns about limited delivery compared to demand and the role of Section 106 contributions. He urged a stronger long-term housing strategy.

Gwen Swinburn raised concerns about both the call-in process and the proposed housing delivery model. She questioned the evidential basis for the model, noting limited comparison with alternatives and differences from the cited examples. She also raised concerns about significant delegation of decisions to officers, reduced Member oversight, and lack of clear controls. She stated that the model posed governance and financial risks.

This report explains the procedural requirements of the committee, following the calling in of a key decision of the Executive at the meeting held on 14 April 2026.

Members considered a report which set out the reasons for the call -in and the process by which the committee should consider the call-in of the decisions made by the Executive on 14 April 2026 in respect of the above matter.

The decisions contained in the extract from the relevant Decision Sheet, at Appendix 2 to the report, had been called in by Cllrs Ayre, Hollyer and Wann.  The Monitoring Officer had determined that the call-in request, at Appendix 3, was partially valid and element 4(c) Failure to take account of all relevant matters could be considered.

The Lead Call-in Member, Cllr Ayre, addressed the committee, expanding on their reasons for the call-in.  He then responded to questions from Members.

Cllr Pavlovic, the Executive Member for Housing, Planning and Safer Communities, addressed the committee and was joined by the Director of City Development and the Head of Procurement when responding to questions.

Finally, Cllr Ayre summed up and the Executive Member for Housing, Planning and Safter Communities summed up their position.

During the above process the Executive Member confirmed that

·       All relevant options had been considered

·       The revised approach reflected lessons learned

·       The proposed model was considered the most realistic and deliverable.

Under the provisions of the council’s constitution at the time the call-in was made, Members were asked to state individually whether they considered the core principles identified in the call-in request had been breached or not.

The following options were available:

·       In the event of the majority of Members finding no breach, the call-in request would be immediately closed with no further action unless the Committee identified any areas worth of future exploration by the scrutiny function.

·       In the event of the majority of Members finding a breach, the called in decision would be referred back in full for further consideration at the next appropriate meeting of the Executive.

With four Members finding there had been a breach, and five Members finding there had not been a breach, the call-in fell and it was:

Resolved:   That the call-in request be closed.

Reason:     To determine the outcome of the alleged breach in Executive decision making

Members made the following suggestions in relation to future topics for scrutiny.

• Housing delivery programme, members to receive regular updates or briefings on progress.
• Review the impact of energy costs on residents, including data across tenure types and housing standards, to better understand affordability.

It was also agreed to clarify with the Council’s Statutory Officers that the delegations to officers contained within the Housing Delivery Executive report do not exceed the Councils published Scheme of Delegation.