The Director of Law, Governance and Strategy has submitted a report to establish Working Groups and Review Groups for the 2026/27 municipal year and appoint standing Working Group and Review Group membership and chairs.

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to:

1. Agree to establish the following working groups for the 2026/27 municipal year with the following remits:

a)    Finance and Performance Working Group – finance and budgetary issues and decisions, annual review of the Council’s budget, quarterly monitoring of finance and performance (including performance of the Council’s companies), executive decisions made in relation to any companies wholly or partly owned by the Council.? ? 

b)    Housing and Homelessness Working Group – strategic housing and landlord issues and decisions, homelessness, housing services performance and interaction with the Tenant’s Forum.? 

c)    Climate and Environment Working Group – climate and environmental issues and decisions, progress and performance monitoring, monitoring delivery of existing strategies, policies and projects. 

2. Agree the Terms of Reference for:  

a)    Climate and Environment Working Group at Appendix 1 

b)    Finance and Performance Working Group at Appendix 2 

c)    Housing and Homelessness Working Group at Appendix 3 

3. Agree to appoint members and chairs of the Finance and Performance, Housing and Homelessness, and Climate and Environment Working Groups or any other working groups as agreed by the Committee in accordance with nominations made by political groups.? 

a.    Finance and Performance: Cllrs James Fry, James Thorniley, Chris Smowton, Ian Yeatman 

b.    Housing and Homelessness: Cllrs Lizzy Diggins, Rosie Rawle, Roz Smith, Anne Stares 

c.     Climate and Environment: Cllrs Louise Upton, Chris Jarvis, Katherine Miles, Judith Harley 

4. Agree to establish a Budget Review Group, comprising the membership of the Finance and Performance Working Group and note that the proposed scope and Terms of Reference will be agreed at a future Scrutiny Committee meeting.? 

5. Agree the schedule of meetings as presented within the report;