Part A
1
Welcome and Announcements
The Chairman will welcome members of the public and Councillors and remind everyone to use microphones at all times when they are speaking. The Chairman will also explain action in the event of an emergency, mobile phones switched to silent, audio-recording of the meeting. Councillors who are members of the committee will introduce themselves.
2
Substitutions
Councillors will be asked to say if they are attending on behalf of a Committee member who is absent.
3
Urgent Items
The Chair will announce if there is any item not on the published agenda which will be considered because it is urgent and will explain the reason for the urgency.
4
Declarations of Interest
Councillors will be asked to say if there are any items on the agenda about which they have a disclosable pecuniary interest which would prevent them from participating in any discussion of the item or participating in any vote upon the item, or any other registerable interest or non-registerable interest.
5
Minutes of Previous Meeting
The Councillors will be invited to confirm that the minutes of the meetings held on 18 November 2025 and 20 January 2026 are a correct record.
6
Have Your Say! (Hybrid Council meetings)
Members of the public may make representations to the meeting. This can be made either in person at the meeting or by joining the meeting remotely and addressing the Committee via Zoom. Each representation may be no longer than three minutes. Members of the public wishing to address the Committee must register their wish to address the meeting by e-mailing democratic.services@colchester.gov.uk by 12.00 noon on the working day before the meeting date. In addition, a written copy of the representation will need to be supplied.
The Committee will consider a report which demonstrates (in the City Council’s capacity as landlord of social housing) compliance and delivery of the Regulator of Social Housing’s Consumer and Rent Standards.
The Committee will consider a report which proposes enhancements to the governance in respect of Colchester
Commercial (Holdings) Ltd (CCHL), a wholly owned Local Authority Trading
Company (LATCO). The proposal includes changes to CCHL governance, as well as
how the Council oversees and makes decisions in relation to CCHL (report to follow).
The Committee will consider a report which details proposed changes to the Amphora Group and
Company structure, which seek to ensure that Amphora is able to grow and realise the trading /
delivery opportunities that will come through the forthcoming devolution and
local government reorganisation.
Reports to Follow
The Committee
will consider a report which sets out the 2024/25 General Fund and Housing
Revenue Account positions, for both revenue and capital, as of 31st December
2024 (“Quarter 3”)
The Committee will consider a report which asks that it consider the overall Audit Strategy for 2026/29, to ensure that it reflects the key areas of assurance required to enable the committee to comply with its core functions, and to agree the detailed Internal Audit plan for 2026/27 which is proposed.
The Committee will consider a report which provides Members with an overview of the Council’s Business Continuity
activity and Emergency Planning work for the period 01 January 2025 to 31
December 2025.
The Committee will consider a report which sets out its work programme for the current municipal year.
10
Exclusion of the Public (not Scrutiny or Executive)
In accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 to exclude the public, including the press, from the meeting so that any items containing exempt information (for example confidential personal, financial or legal advice), in Part B of this agenda (printed on yellow paper) can be decided. (Exempt information is defined in Section 100I and Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972).