Issue - meetings

ORDERED that the updated Continuous Improvement Plan be approved.

AGREED that the progress made in delivering the commitments within the Continuous Improvement Plan be noted.

The Mayor submitted a report for Executive Approval the purpose of which was to set out the expanded Continuous Improvement Plan. The purpose of the plan was to ensure the Council could articulate its ongoing commitment to Continuous Improvement and capture activity that had been undertaken to deliver that commitment.

In March 2025, Full Council considered the final reports of both the Local Government Association (LGA) Corporate Peer Challenge team and the Middlesbrough Independent Improvement Advisory Board (MIIAB). Both those reports were hugely positive, recognising the improvements the Council had made over the previous two years on its improvement journey.

They also contained a series of recommendations, designed to ensure the Council maintained an outcome focussed commitment to the principles of the continuous improvement journey as it transitioned from a period of intervention.

A copy of the live Continuous Improvement Plan was appended to the report and its status as of June 2025. Since the plan was agreed at Full Council in March 2025, it had been expanded to reflect actions arising from the External Assurance review undertaken by Grant Thornton as part of the Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) application. The plan also included an action arising from the Care Quality Commission inspection of Adult Social Care services.

There were currently 47 actions within the live plan. Of those 47, 16 had been completed to date with the remaining in progress. This was a live plan and a real commitment to continuous improvement. As such, even where actions had been completed, their impact would continue to be tracked, and further activity may need to be identified to ensure the actions had the required impact and / or to ensure the Council continued to proactively address the issues within the scope of the recommendations.

The Mayor commented that a LGA peer challenge follow up would be happening on the 12 and 13 November 2025. The Mayor also stated this matter would be part of his update to the Overview and Scrutiny Board on 30 July 2025.

OPTIONS

The Council could choose to maintain multiple documents capturing continuous improvement activity; however, this would be an inefficient approach and would reduce Member’s ability to see a comprehensive overview of the Council’s ongoing activity in relation to continuous improvement.

ORDERED that the updated Continuous Improvement Plan be approved.

AGREED that the progress made in delivering the commitments within the Continuous Improvement Plan be noted.

REASONS

Having a Continuous Improvement Plan that captured all strategic Continuous Improvement activity, provided Members and Officers with a comprehensive overview of improvement activity within the organisation as part of a framework of assurance reports. Agreeing the revised content of the plan would ensure the Council was tracking this type of activity within one document. Further revisions to the live plan would be identified as necessary going forward.