Agenda and minutes

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 22 January 2026.

The minutes of the meeting on the 22 January 2026 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

To disclose any pecuniary, other registrable or non-registrable interests as set out in the adopted Code of Conduct. In making their disclosure councillors are asked to state the agenda item, the nature of the interest and any action they propose to take as part of their declaration.

If required, further advice should be sought from the Monitoring Officer in advance of the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest.

Representatives of town or parish councils and members of the public who live, work, or represent an organisation within the Dorset Council area are welcome to submit either 1 question or 1 statement for each meeting.  You are welcome to attend the meeting in person or via MS Teams to read out your question and to receive the response.   If you submit a statement for the committee this will be circulated to all members of the committee in advance of the meeting as a supplement to the agenda and appended to the minutes for the formal record but will not be read out at the meeting. The first 8 questions and the first 8 statements received from members of the public or organisations for each meeting will be accepted on a first come first served basis in accordance with the deadline set out below.  Further information read Public Participation - Dorset Council

All submissions must be emailed in full to [email protected]  by 8.30am on Monday 27 April 2026

When submitting your question or statement please note that:

•         You can submit 1 question or 1 statement.

•         a question may include a short pre-amble to set the context.

•         It must be a single question and any sub-divided questions will not be permitted.

•         Each question will consist of no more than 450 words, and you will be given up to 3 minutes to present your question.

•         when submitting a question please indicate who the question is for (e.g., the name of the committee or Portfolio Holder)

•         Include your name, address, and contact details.  Only your name will be published but we may need your other details to contact you about your question or statement in advance of the meeting.

•         questions and statements received in line with the council’s rules for public participation will be published as a supplement to the agenda.

•         all questions, statements and responses will be published in full within the minutes of the meeting.

There was no public participation.

To receive questions submitted by councillors.  

Councillors can submit up to two valid questions at each meeting and sub divided questions count towards this total.   Questions and statements received will be published as a supplement to the agenda and all questions, statements and responses will be published in full within the minutes of the meeting. 

The submissions must be emailed in full to [email protected]  by 8.30am on Monday 27 April 2026

Dorset Council Constitution – Procedure Rule 13

There were no questions from Councillors.

To receive the report from the Strategic Performance & Risk Lead

Strategic Performance Intelligence &Risk manager introduced the Quarter 3 Performance Report (October–December 2025), alongside the associated performance dashboard and strategic risks.

The discussion focused on understanding the context and interpretation of the data presented, alongside identifying areas of concern and opportunities for further scrutiny.

Highways Maintenance and Department for Transport Ratings
The Corporate Director Highways &Engineering introduced the context around the ratings in the report and discussion explored the Department for Transport (DfT) road maintenance ratings and the methodology behind them. It was clarified that the ratings were largely based on submitted data through transparency reports rather than direct assessment of road conditions. This led to concern that the ratings did not fully reflect the lived experience of road quality and may present an unfair comparison between authorities. It was also noted that some scoring elements related to how funding was reported and allocated, rather than actual network condition.

The discussion concluded that the current ratings were more reflective of reporting approaches and financial strategy than a true comparative measure of infrastructure quality.

Cyber Security Training Compliance
The Head of ICT Operations (CTO) introduced the performance measures and discussion highlighted that previously reported compliance levels had been affected by data inaccuracies. Following data cleansing and revised reporting methods, compliance figures had improved significantly.

It was acknowledged, however, that the improvement was largely attributable to better data rather than increased completion rates. The discussion explored the challenges of engaging all staff groups, particularly those without regular access to IT systems.

The approach to compliance enforcement was discussed, including the potential removal of system access for persistent non-compliance. There was also recognition that councillor engagement with training required clearer communication.

Workforce Performance – Sickness, Turnover and Agency Use
the Head of People and Workforce introduced the performance data in the report in relation to workforce indicators in the report.

For sickness absence, it was noted that increases were primarily driven by long-term absence affecting a relatively small proportion of staff. The difference between long-term and short-term absence was clarified, along with how averages can mask the concentration of absence within specific cohorts.

There was discussion about the causes of absence, including physical roles and work-related stress, and the extent to which these could be influenced by the organisation. The importance of prevention, wellbeing support, and understanding underlying causes was emphasised.

Further discussion explored the impacts of workplace conditions, including exposure to abuse in frontline roles, and the need to improve reporting and protection measures. Consideration was also given to the use of body-worn cameras and vehicle recording equipment as part of safeguarding staff.

On turnover, it was noted that rates were above the target range, with increases linked to retirement and organisational change. The discussion highlighted the importance of improving exit interview processes to better understand reasons for leaving, while recognising the potential bias in voluntary feedback.

Succession planning was discussed in the context of an ageing workforce, including the need to retain knowledge and plan for future skills requirements.

Regarding agency  ...  view the full minutes text for item 66.

To review the Place and Resources Scrutiny Committee Work Programme.

The Place and Resources Scrutiny Committee reviewed the work programme and suggested items for future meetings.

Suggested items for future meetings

Workforce Deep Dive (July)

Waste Collections (July)

Accessibility of Dorset Council Estate. (September)

To review the Executive arrangement forward plans.

Forward Plans are provided to members of the Place and Resources Scrutiny Committee to review and identify any potential post decision scrutiny to be undertaken, by scheduling items into the work programme to review after a period of implementation.

The Committee noted the Forward Plans.

To consider any items of business which the Chair has had prior notification and considers to be urgent pursuant to section 100B (4) b) of the Local Government Act 1972. The reason for the urgency shall be recorded in the minutes.

There were no urgent items.

To move the exclusion of the press and the public for the following item in view of the likely disclosure of exempt information within the meaning of paragraph x of schedule 12 A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended). The public and the press will be asked to leave the meeting whilst the item of business is considered.  

There are no exempt items scheduled for this meeting.

There was no exempt business.