Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Work Programme was considered by the Board.

It was requested and the Board agreed that the Contaminated Land Strategy which was to be considered at Cabinet on 18^th June 2025 should be scrutinised by the Board and be added to the Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme for its meeting to be held on 17^th June 2025.

LGR was raised by Members with the following points for consideration:

• Redundancies
• TUPE
• Vacancies
• Workforce

Members expressed the view that the Board should be considered to assist Cabinet with LGR and that the impending report should be scrutinised by the Board. – In response the Executive Director informed the Board that most staff would be TUPED over.  The Minister had put out a statement that all Local Authorities who were required to, had submitted their interim plan.  £7.6 m funding would be made available to twenty-one areas involved in LGR.  Once a Unitary or North/South divide had been established with senior roles  considered to be at most risk. 

The Executive Director felt that the Board did have a role to play to review how services would be run with the impact of vacancies and redundancies.  The Chief Executive would also be reviewing how to report to Cabinet and to the Overview and Scrutiny Board on a regular basis. 

A report would be commissioned with other Local Authorities in the Worcestershire area to review LGR in more detail, with a transparent and balanced view considered integral as part of the review.  Joint Chief Executives were meeting to discuss next steps and would look to commission a report.

RESOLVED that the content of the Cabinet Work Programme be noted as per the preamble above.