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Overview & Scrutiny Committee - Tuesday, 26th November, 2024 6.30 p.m.

November 26, 2024 View on council website Watch video of meeting
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Summary

The Overview & Scrutiny Committee approved the appointment of Alia Begum to the Health and Adults Scrutiny Sub-Committee. The committee also approved the Scrutiny Executive Protocol and took note of reports from the Chief Executive and the Cabinet Member for Environment and the Climate Emergency, as well as updates from the scrutiny leads.

Proportionality of Scrutiny Subcommittees and Appointment of Lead Members

The committee discussed a report on the proportionality of scrutiny subcommittees and the appointment of lead members. A proposal to defer the appointment of scrutiny leads to the next meeting was defeated, and the committee instead proceeded to appoint leads for the following subcommittees:

  • Adults and Health Services: Councillor Bellalutin was elected over Councillor Amy Lee, with 5 votes in favour to 4 against.
  • Children and Education: Councillor Abdul Mandan was elected over Councillor Amy Lee, with 5 votes against to 4 in favour.
  • Housing and Regeneration: Councillor Badr Chavri was elected over Councillor Amy Lee, with 5 votes against to 4 in favour.
  • Resources: Councillor Ahmadou Rahman Khan was elected over Councillor James King, with 5 votes in favour to 4 against.
  • Community Safety: Councillor Abdi Mohammed was elected unopposed.
  • Environment and Climate Emergency: Councillor Natalie Bienfait was elected unopposed.

The committee agreed that it would revisit the proportionality report at its next meeting once it has been passed by the full council.

Chief Executive Spotlight

Chief Executive Steve Halsey addressed the committee on a number of issues raised in the recent Best Value Inspection report.

I and the senior team at the council accept the findings of the best value inspection report in every respect and acknowledge the need for urgent action to address the serious failings identified.

Mr Halsey stated that he had spoken to over 1,000 staff and various partners about the report's findings, including senior leaders from schools, higher education, the NHS and the Integrated Care Board, police, fire service, the Canary Wharf Group, community organisations, and chairs of the Statutory Partnership Boards. He also confirmed that he had briefed group leaders on the report, and encouraged all members to engage with its findings and the next steps.

Mr Halsey reported that he had formally notified the regulator for social housing of the council's intention to self-refer on 4 October 2024, and that he will be encouraging lead members to attend scrutiny meetings at every appropriate opportunity. He also provided updates on the following issues:

  • Home Care Procurement: Mr Halsey stated that the outcome of the recent issue with a third-party home care service provider will be fully reported to the Audit Committee on conclusion of an ongoing independent investigation.
  • External Audit Opinions: Mr Halsey confirmed that the final external audit opinions for the years 2021/22 and 2022/23 will be presented to the Audit Committee on 4 December 2024.
  • Corporate Performance Reports: Mr Halsey noted a reduction in both RED1 and AMBER2 measures over the last quarter, which he was pleased to see.
  • Member Development Strategy: The Mayor and Mr Halsey have agreed a new member development strategy.
  • Empowering Services Review: A review is currently underway to strengthen the corporate centre and empower directorates. This will be reported in the new year.
  • Mayor's Office Restructure: Mr Halsey reported that the Mayor's Office restructure is progressing, with agreement on a new structure that will reduce the team from 36 staff to 9.

Mr Halsey apologised for not commenting on the annual resident survey or the women's commission, and committed to providing a detailed update immediately following the meeting.

Mayor's Waste Improvement Programme

Councillor Shafi Ahmed, Cabinet Member for Environment and the Climate Emergency, provided the committee with an update on the Mayor's Waste Improvement Programme (MWIP).

Councillor Ahmed highlighted a number of service improvements that have been made as part of the programme, including:

  • Enhanced waste clearance arrangements 7 days a week, including morning, afternoon and night-time clearing.
  • Separation of domestic and commercial waste collections.
  • Introduction of time banding in high streets and town centres to enforce unregulated waste.
  • Introduction of additional weekday and weekend sweeping beats in hotspot areas around the borough, as well as targeted deep cleaning.
  • Deployment of 'Find It, Fix It' vehicles to respond immediately to problem areas and fly-tipping.
  • Updated service arrangements for recycling on estates.
  • Introduction of a pilot for daily use recycling sacks.

Councillor Ahmed reported that 95% of inspections for street cleansing undertaken in Tower Hamlets by Keep Britain Tidy were graded as acceptable, and that Quarter 2 NI 1953 results show that Tower Hamlets has significantly improved and is now performing better than the London benchmark for litter and detritus.

The committee viewed a short video produced by the council in partnership with the East London Mosque to encourage residents to recycle. Councillor Ahmed confirmed that the council is also working with the Interfaith Forum to deliver this message.

Councillor Ahmed concluded by stating that education and communication are paramount to making the Mayor's Waste Improvement Programme a success, and that the council will continue to work with local third parties to educate and create awareness amongst residents.

Scrutiny Executive Protocol

The committee discussed a draft Scrutiny Executive Protocol, which sets out the terms of reference for all members of the Overview & Scrutiny Committees and the Cabinet.

Some members expressed concern that the protocol did not take into account the findings of the Best Value Inspection report, and that it placed too much emphasis on the behaviour of scrutiny members while failing to address the lack of engagement from the executive.

I think the onus of this paper is kind of shifted in the wrong direction. I think there's a lot about the protocol of what you expect of us as scrutiny leads. And in return officers will provide impartial information. I'm not necessarily sure in my two months, my two meetings here, it's always been the most impartial information. - Councillor Abdi Mohammed

The committee agreed to approve the protocol as a starting point, with the understanding that it will be reviewed and amended in light of the Best Value Inspection report and further feedback from members.

Scrutiny Leads Updates

Councillor Ahmadou Rahman Khan, scrutiny lead for Resources, provided an update on his recent work, which included three meetings with Julie Ruarez, Corporate Director of Finance.

Councillor Abdul Mannan, scrutiny lead for Children and Education, informed the committee that his sub-committee would be meeting on 5 December 2024 to discuss early help and the recent children's social care inspection. He also highlighted that there would be an inspection of school dinners in January or February 2025.

Councillor Amy Lee, scrutiny lead for Housing and Regeneration, confirmed that she had had a pre-meeting with officers and that her sub-committee would be meeting on 4 December 2024. She stated that she would be providing the committee with dates for upcoming site visits soon, and that she hoped to bring a report on commercial and community assets to scrutiny in February 2025.

Councillor Natalie Bienfait, scrutiny lead for Environment and the Climate Emergency, apologised for the late notice on the recent flood risk site visits. She stated that she had been doing a lot of work on the Net Zero Scrutiny Review, and that the committee would be discussing flood risk at its December meeting, with the support of an external consultant.

Councillor Bellal Uddin, scrutiny lead for Adults and Health Services, stated that he would provide the committee with a more detailed update at its next meeting. He also reminded female members of the committee that there would be a meeting on 4 December 2024 at 5pm, and encouraged them to attend.


  1. RED is a performance indicator used by Tower Hamlets Council that suggests a service is not performing well and needs urgent improvement. 

  2. AMBER is a performance indicator used by Tower Hamlets Council that suggests a service is performing to an acceptable standard, but needs some improvement to reach target. 

  3. NI 195 is a national indicator that measures the cleanliness of streets, based on a survey of litter and detritus.