Report of the Chair of Corporate Scrutiny Committee

(September 2026)

1. At July’s Full Council I was pleased to propose the Annual Scrutiny Report, which included findings from a member survey which sought to gather views on the first year of operation of the revised scrutiny arrangements. I’d like to thank those colleagues who took the time to complete the survey and share their thoughts on what is working well and what needs to be improved.

2. The Scrutiny Review Working Group continues to oversee the implementation of the new Scrutiny arrangements and I’d like to thank officers and members of this Group for their efforts.

3. I’d like to thank members of the Boundary Commission Task and Finish Group for producing reports for the two phases of the consultation in quick succession and to a challenging timetable. Task and Finish Group work is underway on the budget and medium-term financial strategy, adult social care finance, housing repairs, section 106 agreement process improvements and the impact of changes to some sickness and disability benefits.

4. In my previous report to Council, I mentioned work that is underway to establish a formal process to centrally log recommendations arising from Scrutiny discussions and Task and Finish Group work, so that there is more visibility of these recommendations and a formal process to monitor actions arising. The output of this work is due to come to the Corporate Scrutiny meeting on 9 November.

5. I would like to welcome Councillor Baxter to her role as Vice Chair of Corporate Scrutiny and thank the outgoing Vice Chair Councillor Merrett for his support over recent years.

Corporate Scrutiny Committee

6. At the 11 May meeting members discussed progress with resolutions and actions approved by Council motions and the status of petitions presented to Council. It was agreed to mark 13 motions as ‘closed’.

7. The 22 June meeting had been arranged as an additional meeting in order to undertake pre-decision scrutiny on two items – the future management of Fulford Cemetery (on which members supported the proposed approach in principle) and the Gypsy & Traveller Action Plan (on which members supported the proposed next steps).

8. At the 6 July meeting members considered a report of the Chief Strategy Officer and the Head of Carbon Reduction in relation to the strategic energy partnership options appraisal for the York and North Yorkshire Local Net Zero Accelerator project. The approach set out in the report was supported. Members also considered the ‘phase 2’ report from the Boundary Commission Task and Finish Group and approved their recommendations to go to Full Council. The draft Annual Scrutiny Report was discussed and some amendments were agreed prior to its presentation to Full Council.

9. At the 7 September meeting members received the 2025/26 finance and performance outturn report and discussed its contents. It was agreed to arrange for a report to come to Committee, or to a briefing session, on the council’s customer service function.

Corporate Scrutiny Committee (call-in)

10. At the 5 May meeting members considered the calling in of a key decision of the Executive at the meeting held on 14 April 2026 relating to the Housing Delivery Programme Delivery Strategy. With four members finding there had been a breach, and five members finding there had not been a breach, the call-in fell.

Place Scrutiny Committee

11. At the 24 March meeting members’ views were sought on the emerging proposals for the operation of the Rougier Route bus priority corridor, including potential exemptions and ways of addressing the issues highlighted by Bishophill and Micklegate residents and businesses. The committee asked that, in making a final decision on the scheme’s operation, the Executive considers exemptions for private hire taxi vehicles, hackney carriage taxi vehicles and for Blue Badge holders.

12. Members also discussed the Local Transport Strategy within the context of the transfer of some responsibilities to the Combined Authority. Members resolved to consider the format and frequency of future updates on the Local Transport Strategy Implementation Plan.

13. At the 19 May meeting members received an update on the first seven months of implementation of the Neighbourhood Caretaker team and the future developments. Members recommended that details of the work undertaken is shared with ward councillors and that steps are taken to promote the ability for communities to get involved in future walkabouts. It was also recommended that for larger wards ‘central planning meetings’ are explored, recognising that it is not possible to walk around the entirety of a ward. Members also agreed to move ahead with a Task and Finish Group on Section 106 Agreements Process Improvements.

14. The 16 June meeting had been arranged as an additional meeting in order to undertake pre-decision scrutiny on two items – the independent review of car parking charges and the recycling review. Members recommended that the Executive consider all the recommendations within the independent review of parking charges. On recycling, members recommended that the Executive explore further the challenges relating to terraced streets, support for those who might struggle with large bins, and households that might need larger bins.

15. At the 21 July meeting members welcomed representatives from Yorkshire Water for a discussion on the management of the city’s rivers and water infrastructure. Members also discussed a report setting out the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority’s proposed creation of Mayoral Development Zones, including one for York Central.

People Scrutiny Committee

16. At the 17 March meeting members discussed the outcome of the Care Quality Commission’s Local Authority Assessment and subsequent actions taken. Members expressed support for the action plan and approach outlined in the report. Members were also asked to review the draft York Carers Strategy 2026–2032 and recommended that officers explore ways to raise awareness of ‘Employers for Carers’ in order to receive better support and advice; and for ways to be found to support those who don’t identify as carers and therefore do not receive the support available to them.

17. Members also discussed the proposed approach to ward funding allocations. Feedback was provided for the Executive to consider and members asked that details of ward expenditure be published to showcase what funding had been spent on.

18. At the 15 April meeting members discussed the Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report 2024/25 and made recommendations for a number of issues to be covered in future reports.

19. At the 24 June meeting members discussed proposed updates to the Council’s Housing Allocations Policy to ensure legal compliance, enhance transparency and consistency, and to support effective use of social housing stock. Members were supportive of the proposed policy changes and officer delegations. Members also undertook pre-decision scrutiny of York’s Preparation for Adulthood Strategy 2026–2031 and expressed their support for the strategy.

20. At the 8 July meeting members provided feedback on the draft of the most recent three-year Community Safety Strategy for York and approved the remit of the Housing Repairs Task and Finish Group.

21. At the 8 September meeting members discussed a report on York Learning’s performance against their strategic aims for the academic year 2025/26 and towards the skills challenges in the city. Members also received an update on the Adult Social Care (ASC) Delivery Plan.