Agenda

To receive any apologies for absence from Councillors.

To receive information on any changes in the membership of the Committee.

Note – When a member of a Committee is unable to attend a meeting of a Committee or Sub-Committee, the relevant Political Group Leader (or their nominated representative) may, by notice to the Monitoring Officer (or their nominated representative) prior to the meeting, appoint a substitute member from within the same Political Group. The contact details on the front of this agenda should be used for notifications.

Councillors are requested to declare any interests on items included in this agenda. Please refer to the workflow on the preceding page for guidance.

Declarations received will be reported at the meeting.

To confirm and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meetings held on 22^nd and 30^th September 2025.

The recommendation tracker is included with the agenda for the Board to note.

The Overview and Scrutiny (O&S) Board is asked to consider and identify work priorities for publication in a Work Plan.

To receive any public questions, statements or petitions submitted in accordance with the Constitution. Further information on the requirements for submitting these is available to view at the following link:-

https://democracy.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/ieListMeetings.aspx?CommitteeID=151&Info=1&bcr=1

The deadline for the submission of public questions is midday 3 clear working days before the meeting – Tuesday 14 October 2025

The deadline for the submission of a statement is midday the working day before the meeting – Friday 17 October 2025.

The deadline for the submission of a petition is 10 working days before the meeting.

This report:

·        Aims to ensure the council presents a legally balanced 2026/27 budget. 

·        Presents an update on the MTFP position of the council.

·        Presents an update on the letters of the Leader of the Council and Director of Finance in writing to Government to seek assurance around the council’s ability to continue to cashflow the significant and growing Dedicated Schools Grants deficit within the statutory framework.

Provides details of the council’s responses to two government consultation documents namely the Local Government Fair Funding Review and Modernising and Improving the administration of council tax.

This report updates Cabinet on the progress which has been made with the future library strategy following two previous reports in February and December 2024. 

The report sets out the key drivers for the library strategy, detailing the suggested future focus of the library service, the priorities for investment, and the action plan required to ensure we can continue to deliver an efficient and comprehensive service for the future.

The work to underpin the strategy has given us a clearer understanding of where to target investment to bring improvements for our communities, increasing access, and modelling provision within clusters.

The vision is an ambitious one, focussed on delivering improvements and cementing the value of libraries within our communities.

Whilst there is undoubtedly a resource challenge, as there is in delivering all council services, the strategy remains an ambitious statement of intent. Working with partners, the community, and internal teams, we will develop our preparedness for funding opportunities and focus on greater collaboration to ensure libraries deliver in a time of financial stress and even greater societal challenge.

It is anticipated that following endorsement of the draft Library Strategy, any changes of provision to be proposed within the life of the strategy will undergo a second stage consultation process, as appropriate.