Agenda and draft minutes

To receive and note apologies for absence.

None were received. 

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 the 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 meeting held on 19 January 2026.

Resolved: That the minutes be approved as a correct record for the meeting held on 19 January 2026.

At this point in the meeting members of the public who have registered to speak can do so. Members of the public may speak on agenda items or on matters within the remit of the committee.

Please note that our registration deadlines are set as two 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 Thursday, 26 February 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 no registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

To receive a report from the Chief Strategy Officer providing a summary of the programme in relation to the activity in York.

The Head of Carbon Reduction introduced his report on the York and North Yorkshire Business Sustainability Programme, which provides grants to businesses towards reducing carbon emissions and improving operational efficiency to deliver savings.  He highlighted that 59 applications had been approved leading to a carbon emissions reduction of 390 tonnes annually.

Members asked a range of questions covering the types of successful businesses and projects, how the funding could be used most effectively, the scale of the impact of carbon reduction, how to ensure a range of businesses apply for funding, follow up with businesses who received funding, the reasons for being unsuccessful with a grant application and future plans should the scheme, or similar, be repeated.

It was reported that there was an intention to produce some case studies, and a critical analysis of the project, at the end of the programme in March. 

To receive the grant, businesses needed to show that they could not do the work without funding being made available to them. 

The scale of the impact was assessed through pre-screening with the independent panel focussed on the financial risks associated with each project and maintaining fairness. 

The marketing of the scheme may have been responsible for the bias towards farming businesses in North Yorkshire. 

Support to businesses through the application process was provided, organisations did not have to undertake an environmental audit but did need to demonstrate some kind of audit evidence.  The main reasons for not being successful in receiving grant funding was mostly down to the level of risk involved or the inability to demonstrate a sufficient level of impact.  Businesses that were unsuccessful were able to work with an advisor to reapply.

Should a similar project be run in the future, it will have a different funding source which was likely to impact the structure and terms of the fund.

Resolved:  Members noted the report and recommended that case study information be made available as part of any future applicant pack.

Reason:     To improve service provision.

To receive a report from the Director of Governance presenting a proposed approach for monitoring and tracking scrutiny recommendations.

The Scrutiny Officer presented his report in relation to tracking scrutiny recommendations, noting that the recommendations from the Budget and Medium-Term Financial Strategy task and finish group would be presented to the Executive the following evening.  He asked members to discuss and agree the process of tracking their recommendations, noting that this was one of the recommendations from the Scrutiny Review undertaken by the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny (CfGS).

During the discussion, members agreed that the tracking should start from the commencement of the current administration in 2023.  Categorising levels of progress and the presentation of the document was also discussed.

Resolved:  That the proposal for monitoring and tracking scrutiny recommendations be approved.

Reason:     To contribute to a structured and consistent approach to monitoring scrutiny recommendations.

To receive a report from the Head of Democratic Services inviting the Committee to consider and agree its work plan for the remainder of the municipal year.

Members considered the draft work plan for the committee and the overview scrutiny work plan for the scrutiny committees. 

It was agreed that the scrutiny officer would investigate the options for members to receive finance and performance information.

Resolved:            That the work plan be noted.

Reason:              To ensure an overview of the scrutiny work plan.