Agenda and minutes

In the event the fire alarm sounds attendees will be advised to evacuate the building via the nearest fire exit and assemble at the Bottle of Notes opposite MIMA.

 

The Chair welcomed all those present to the meeting and described the fire evacuation procedure.

Name of Member	Type of Interest	Nature of Interest
Councillor Clynch	Non-Pecuniary	Item 13 – Employed in Education Sector
Councillor McClintock	Non-Pecuniary	Item 7 – Governor at Middlesbrough College in relation to Mayor’s Update
Councillor Young	Non-Pecuniary	Item 13 – Employed in Education Sector

 

The Minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Board meeting held on 9 April 2025 were submitted for the Board’s consideration.

 

A Member proposed the following amendments:

 

·        Page three - the first bullet point should read “Middlesbrough had a lower average life expectancy compared to the rest of England” rather than “Middlesbrough had a lower average life expectancy for England.”

·        Page five, paragraph 6 - the apostrophe should be removed from “Community Council’s.”

 

The proposed amendments were agreed, and the remainder of the Minutes for 9 April were approved as a correct record.

Overview and Scrutiny Board are asked to consider the minutes of the People Scrutiny Panel on 14 April 2025 as the Panel was disbanded on 21 May 2025.

The Minutes of the People Scrutiny Panel meeting held on 14 April 2025 were submitted and approved as a correct record.

Overview and Scrutiny Board are asked to consider the minutes of the People Scrutiny Panel on 12 May 2025 as the Panel was disbanded on 21 May 2025.

The Minutes of the People Scrutiny Panel meeting held on 12 May 2025 were submitted and approved as a correct record.

The Chair welcomed the Mayor to the meeting and invited him to deliver his presentation.

 

The Mayor stated his presentation would follow a similar format to his previous presentations to OSB and would be structured as Review, Celebrate and Preview. It was agreed the Mayor would take questions during his presentation rather than at the end.

 

The Review element of the presentation covered the Middlesbrough Priorities Fund, Public Sector Capital and Childhood Enrichment Team. 

 

During his presentation the Mayor made the following points:

 

·         The Priorities Fund supported several initiatives, split over two phases.

·         The first phase included Youth Mutual Seed funding, an increase to grass verge budgets and improvements to the condition of shop fronts.

·         The second phase of the Priorities Fund included initiatives such as the Homeless Intervention Team and the Iris Programme.

·         The Iris programme would help GPs, and other health care professionals, identify cases of domestic abuse.

·         The AI Interactive Coach was being trialled in Adult Social Care to assist Social Workers with administrative tasks when visiting service users.

·         The Council was not providing money for Energy Assessments programme this but was providing advice and support to people about how to make their homes and businesses more energy efficient.

·         The NEETs programme was based in East Middlesbrough.

·         MusicINC was an important scheme and had received additional funding for new musical equipment.

·         The Council had paid the first year of Multibank project which had provided essential items such as clothing.

·         Increased support for Trading Standards was crucial as it helped the Council, and other agencies, tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.

·         There needed to be a clear plan with regards to the Investment prospectus to attract investment to the town.

·         In terms of the Public Sector Capital initiative, Middlesbrough College was cited as an example. It was projected that Middlesbrough College would not to be able to accommodate student numbers by 2028/29. The Council had provided funds of £1.6 million to the College so it could cope with increasing student numbers. Aiding in this way helped reduce the level of NEET in the town and there was no additional cost to the Council for this investment. Similar projects were being developed and would involve working with the Police in efforts to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.

·         In terms of the Childhood Enrichment Team, there had been an additional £200,000 allocated to move from two periods of assistance (Summer and Christmas) to four periods of assistance (Summer, October Half Term, Christmas and February Half Term). Such assistance could be in the form of regular meals or childhood experiences. Such experiences provided a degree of stability for children. The initiative also included the 10 by 10 project, which provided 10 essential life enhancing experiences for children under 10 years of age. It was acknowledged this project needed to target children under 10 years old otherwise they would be locked into their secondary schooling.

·         The 10 by 10 project was part of a wider suite of projects, which included the SHiFT programme  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25/6

The Mayor presented a report for OSB’s consideration and noting.

 

It was explained the report had been considered by Members and approved at Executive on 16 July 2025. OSB was advised the report provided an overview of delivery against the Council’s Continuous Improvement Plan. The plan captured strategic improvement actions being delivered within the organisation to ensure the Council could fully demonstrate its compliance with the principles of the Best Value Duty.

 

The Mayor stated he was hopeful that all actions in the plan would be completed.

 

Reference was made to recommendation six, sub action (b), which related to providing support to Executive Members so they could own and shape the Council’s financial position. A Member queried if this should apply to all Members rather than just Executive Members. The Mayor stated he would be happy for this to apply to all Members.

 

A conversation took place regarding the Councillor Gateway system. A Member commented they would be happy to provide their feedback on the technical aspects of the Gateway system. It was confirmed that recruitment for a Gateway Officer was in progress, and they would reach out to Members for their feedback once in post. While the Mayor acknowledged the Gateway could be streamlined, some Members of the Board expressed their satisfaction with the system.

 

The Chair thanked the Mayor and asked OSB to note the report.

 

NOTED

The Democratic Services Officer presented the OSB Work programme report for the 2025/26 municipal year. Members were advised the report contained prospective scrutiny topics the Board could consider undertaking during the forthcoming year.

 

The Chair invited Members to comment on the report.

 

A Member suggested that a scrutiny topic into electoral registration would be beneficial as this informed important Council services, such as Council Tax. The Chair advised it would be prudent to wait for the full impact of the government’s electoral reforms before examining electoral registration.

 

The Monitoring Officer advised that a briefing note on the government’s reforms was being planned and could be circulated to OSB for their information.

 

A Member commented the topic “Developing a Vision for the Town” had been identified as a topic for the Place Scrutiny Panel. The Chair commented this review should remain with the Place Scrutiny Panel, but that OSB should invite the new Chair of the Middlesbrough Development Corporation to attend OSB.

 

The Chair stated he was keen for OSB to undertake reviews, albeit on a strategic level but that OSB should also be prepared to undertake shorter reviews on emerging issues.

 

The Chair proposed that the suggested topic, “Poverty, its impact, and efforts to tackle it”, be undertaken by OSB. It was suggested this would be considered from a council-centric perspective and would examine poverty in terms of what support the Council offered to alleviate it.

 

The Chair also suggested that the topic “The role of faith and belief in decision-making, civic life, and the work of Middlesbrough Council” also be undertaken, although this could be a short review in the first instance.

 

A Member queried the nature of the Civics Working Group that had been created following a motion to full Council. It was clarified this was a working group comprising of Members across the political spectrum but was not a formal committee.

 

ORDERED that

 

1.    A briefing note, identifying electoral reforms, be presented to OSB once prepared.

2.    The new Chair of the Middlesbrough Development Corporation be invited to attend a future meeting of OSB.

3.    The suggested topics “Poverty, its impact, and efforts to tackle it” and “The role of faith and belief in decision-making, civic life, and the work of Middlesbrough Council” be added to the Scrutiny Work Programme for 2025/26.

4.    The Scrutiny Work Programme for 2025/26 be updated to reflect the agreed topics.

The Democratic Services Officer submitted a report seeking OSB’s approval for the Scrutiny Work Programme for the 2025/26 municipal year.

 

The report detailed the prospective work programme as follows:

 

The Adults and Social Care and Health Scrutiny Panel met on 21 July and agreed to include the following topics in its work programme:

 

In Depth Reviews:

·        Healthy Place Making across the life course with a focus on children and young people.

·        Domestic Abuse / Violence Against Women and Girls and how to tackle it.

 

Updates:

·        Quarterly Monitoring of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) Improvement Plan

·        Teeswide Safeguarding Adults Board (TSAB) - Annual Report

·        Director of Public Health, Annual Report

·        Updates from the Tees Valley Joint Health Scrutiny Committee

·        South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - Draft Quality Account

·        Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust - Draft Quality Account

 

The Children’s Scrutiny Panel met on 15 July and agreed to include the following topics in its work programme:

 

In Depth Reviews

·        Out of Area Specialist Provision

·        Educational Attainment of Children in Care

·        Supporting Children who are being exploited

 

Updates:

·        South Tees Safeguarding Children Partnership - Annual Report

·        Performance data

·        Children’s Services financial information.

·        SEND Local Offer

 

The Place Scrutiny Panel met on 17 July and agreed to include the following topics in its work programme:

 

In Depth Reviews

·        Barriers to Regeneration (ongoing review)

·        Commemorating Middlesbrough's Bicentenary in 2030

·        Development of a Vision for the Town

·        The Council's Role in Housing

 

Updates:

·        Flood Risk Management

·        RIPA (Regulation of Investigatory Powers) (Annual update)

·        Community Safety Partnership (Annual update)

·        Prevent and Channel (Annual update)

 

The Chair invited Members of OSB to comment on the report.

 

As there were no questions from Members it was agreed the report be approved.

 

ORDERED that the Work Programme 2025/26 for the Place Scrutiny Panel, as set out above, be approved.

The Chair invited the Democratic Services Manager to present the Pre-Decision Scrutiny Protocol to OSB.

 

Members were advised that the aim of the protocol was to better facilitate working relationships between Scrutiny and Executive. The draft Protocol had been shared with Scrutiny Chairs and Senior Management as well as presented to those Members in attendance at recent scrutiny workshops.

 

A Member commented they had taken a keen interest in this issue and was happy with the content of the draft protocol as it helped to codify the position as it was. The Member also stated that often Scrutiny did not have sufficient time to effectively examine issues before they were considered by Executive. As such, while the protocol was welcome, it did not provide a solution to this. 

 

It was commented that the protocol was a first step. The next phase of this work would be to facilitate work between Scrutiny and the Executive to create a scrutiny conversation. Such scrutiny conversations would allow for informal discussions and potentially allow for more open and effective dialogue.

 

It was agreed that the Chair of OSB would work with Democratic Services to decide on the best way forward regarding the scrutiny conversation. A Member commented the draft Protocol should be seen as the first phase, and that a second phase would be needed.

 

The Mayor commented a timeline for decisions would be useful as there was often a limited timeframe associated with decisions considered by Executive.

 

ORDERED that

 

1.    The Pre-decision Scrutiny Protocol be approved.

2.    The Chair of OSB and Democratic Services work together to further develop the protocol.

The Democratic Services Officer introduced the report for OSB’s consideration.  A copy of the Work Programme was attached at Appendix A and Members were asked to raise any issues they had in relation to any of the items listed.

 

Members identified several entries on the Forward Plan which they felt required more information. Those items were:

 

·        Development of Middlehaven Proposals to commence preparatory work for the comprehensive redevelopment of Middlehaven

·        Capital Investment in Council Buildings Proposals to invest in major reconfiguration and repair of Council buildings

·        Investment in Homelessness Proposals for investment alongside a social investor to purchase properties to reduce the expenditure on temporary accommodation

 

In terms of Investment in Homelessness Proposals for investment alongside a social investor to purchase properties to reduce the expenditure on temporary accommodation, the Mayor commented this was a wider strategic piece of work which included properties in a state of disrepair. A discussion took place about how such properties would be used and it was commented those houses would likely be for single occupancy purposes.

 

In terms of the Forward Plan entry regarding Longlands Road Sustainable Transport Improvements, the Mayor stated the decision may be delayed owing to additional works that were required, particularly on Longlands Bridge.

 

The Chair commented there were relatively few entries on the Forward Plan, and he encouraged as much information to be included on the Plan as possible.

 

The Chief Executive commented the Forward Plan tended to be shorter at this point in the year but that more decisions would be entered on to the Forward Plan in the autumn.

 

ORDERED that

 

1.     More information be requested from the relevant Service Area relating to the following entries on the Forward Plan:

 

o   Development of Middlehaven Proposals to commence preparatory work for the comprehensive redevelopment of Middlehaven

o   Capital Investment in Council Buildings Proposals to invest in major reconfiguration and repair of Council buildings

o   Investment in Homelessness Proposals for investment alongside a social investor to purchase properties to reduce the expenditure on temporary accommodation

 

2.     The report be noted.

 

 

There were no Forward Plan Actions following the previsous meeting of OSB.

The Chair of the Children’s Scrutiny Panel presented the former People Scrutiny Panel’s Final Report and draft recommendations in relation to its review of Children Missing Education.

 

The Chair of the Children’s Scrutiny Panel expressed his thanks to all those involved in the report’s creation.

 

The Board was asked to consider the following recommendations:

 

a)     Ensures that CME forms an integral part of Middlesbrough Council’s Draft Poverty Strategy. CME, and its impact, should be explicitly referenced and included in any performance regime underpinning the strategy. Members of the Children’s Scrutiny Panel should be briefed on how CME will feature within the Poverty Strategy no later than January 2026, or sooner if the strategy is available.

b)     Ensures that Education & Partnerships are fully prepared for the Children’s Wellbeing in Schools Bill, in particular the monitoring of Elective Home Education and the implementation of a single unique identifier (SUI) for children. The Children’s Scrutiny Panel should be briefed on the preparations, no later than December 2025.

c)     Establishes a Working Group between Primary Schools in the Central areas of Middlesbrough, Education and Partnerships, Stronger Communities and local Councillors to explore if further assistance can be provided in respect of the large transient community and the issues of school roll turnover. The Working Group should report back on its progress by March 2026.

d)     Establishes a Working Group between Education & Partnerships and Stronger Communities to understand the nature of the higher rate of CME in the Romanian community. The Working Group should produce an action plan to help reduce this number against the baseline average of 22, at the time of the review. The Working Group should provide a progress update against their action plan to the Children’s Scrutiny Panel by March 2026.

e)     An update be provided to the Children’s Scrutiny Panel that provides assurance to the on the ongoing work of assisting children at risk of permanent exclusion. This should happen no later than October 2026.

f)       An update be provided to the Children’s Scrutiny Panel on the new Alternative Provision and the restructure of the Inclusion and Outreach Model. This should happen no later than April 2026.

 

 

ORDERED that the findings and recommendations of the former People Scrutiny Panel be endorsed and referred to the Executive.

 

The Chair of Place Scrutiny Panel presented the Panel’s Final Report and draft recommendations in relation to its review into Empty Properties.

 

The Chair of the Place Scrutiny Panel thanked all those involved in the creation of the report and commented this was an important subject. He also stated that national government needed to reexamine the property rating system. 

 

A Member queried what the Council Tax rates were for properties that were empty for longer periods. The Mayor stated properties empty for two years or more had 200% Council Tax imposed and those empty for five years or more the amount was 300%.

 

A Member stated they welcomed the report as it provided useful information on how to deal with empty properties in their ward.

 

The Chair of the Place Scrutiny Panel stated remedies to empty properties in Middlesbrough were available but were difficult to use.

 

The Board was asked to consider the following recommendations:

 

a)     Introduce a charge of 100% Empty Property Council Tax Premium after year 1 instead of year 2 which it is currently.

b)     Impose the maximum premium for properties which have been empty for 10 years or more.

c)     Ensure that all enforcement powers available to the Council such as Completion Notices and Demolition Orders in relation to empty properties are utilised where appropriate and justify any failure to do so.

d)     Produce a database of derelict empty properties and report annually to the Executive and/or the Place Scrutiny Panel.

e)     Review empty properties across the town by carrying out data matching using the electoral register, council tax list and business rate list.

f)       Make greater use of Compulsory Purchase Orders for residential properties and smaller commercial properties such as small shops below flats. For commercial properties investigate schemes such as the High Street Rental Auctions scheme.

g)     Explore how the Selective Landlord Licensing Scheme can be made into less of a deterrent to letting out empty properties, by allowing landlords to pay the Selective Landlord License fee over 60 monthly payments instead of up front. Also by providing a waiver of future payments if the landlord sells the property.

h)     Encourage Social Housing Providers to demolish uneconomical properties that cannot be brought back into use or encourage them to sell to other developers or owner occupiers and to reinvest any money generated into their current stock.

i)       Investigate if CPOs can be issued for unsafe buildings so that they can be demolished by the Council and associated costs passed onto the owner.

j)       Explore ways of getting long-term empty properties back into use through affordable rents/full market rents or owner occupation as well as social rent.

k)     Investigate if empty social housing properties that are difficult to let could be used by the council to provide temporary accommodation.

l)       Explore all possible channels of funding and work with more developers, social housing providers and private landlords to bring empty properties back into use, including office to residential conversions.

m)   Explore alternative ways of dealing  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25/14

Scrutiny Panel Chairs were invited to provide their updates to OSB.

 

The Chair of the Children’s Scrutiny Panel advised OSB the Panel last met on the 15 July where it agreed its work programme for the forthcoming year. The next meeting of the Panel would be 15 September.

 

The Chair of the Adult Social Care and Health Scrutiny Panel advised OSB the Panel had last met on 22 July where it agreed its work programme for the forthcoming year.  OSB was also advised the Panel were keen to explore topics covering obesity in children and young people as well as domestic abuse. The Panel were also concerned about children’s dental health. It was commented this issue could lend itself to a joint review between the Adult Social Care and Health Scrutiny Panel and the Children’s Scrutiny Panel.

 

The Chair of the Place Scrutiny Panel advised OSB the Panel had last met on 17 July 2025 where it agreed its work programme for the forthcoming year. OSB was advised the Panel had agreed two general areas to review which were housing development and the development of the town more generally.

 

NOTED

None.