Here's a summary of the Royal Borough of Greenwich Organisation and Communities Scrutiny Panel meeting held on 17 April 2025. The panel discussed updates from cabinet members on community engagement, finance, resources and social value, as well as reports on financial operations and member casework management. No decisions were made during the meeting, but recommendations may be made to the Executive at a later date.

Financial Operations Performance

The panel considered a report on the performance of financial operations for the 2024/25 financial year. The report provided an overview of council tax, business rates, corporate debt, payments, payroll, and benefit payments.

• Council Tax: The in-year collection rate was 94.5%, an increase from 94.0% in 2023/24, but still below the 94.7% achieved pre-COVID in 2019/20. Total council tax arrears stood at £38.2m as of 31 March 2025, a reduction from £42.4m the previous year. The service is also actively securing charging orders[^2] on properties with substantial arrears, with £2.2m in unpaid debt secured in this way. The council is also making it easier for residents to pay their council tax bills by offering an any day direct debit facility, and by developing a new self-service platform for taxpayers. [^2]: A charging order is a court order that places a charge on a judgment debtor's property. This means that if the debtor sells the property, the creditor will be paid out of the proceeds of the sale.
• Business Rates: The collection rate was 98.0% for 2024/25, compared to 96.2% for 2023/24. The Greater London Authority (GLA) has agreed to provide additional funding for a new visiting officer to monitor commercial properties and investigate potentially unknown businesses.
• Corporate Debt: A total of 27,268 invoices were issued by the Corporate Debt Service during 2024/25, raising £112m. Outstanding debt as of 31 March 2025 was £26.9m, with £13.3m of that relating to invoices raised in March 2025.
• Payments: The payments team processed invoices worth £911,069,054.28. The council aims to pay all suppliers within 30 days of the invoice date. 91.4% of invoices were paid within this timeframe.
• Payroll: The payroll service supports approximately 10,000 staff, with cumulative monthly net payrolls totalling £20,631,559 as at 31 March 2025.
• Benefit Payments: The combined caseload for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support was 24,116 in March 2025. The working-age Housing Benefit caseload has reduced due to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Universal Credit (UC) Managed Migration programme.

Members Casework Management

The panel received a report on the management of casework raised by councillors and MPs. The report included data on timeliness, quality, and processes.

The report highlighted that there are inconsistencies in how services have been utilising the Dynamics system¹, which may impact the accuracy of the data provided. A review of councillor casework was undertaken between September and December 2023, resulting in 17 recommendations for improvement. Actions taken include:

• A comprehensive audit of Dynamics licenses
• Creation of an escalation list
• Dedicated meetings with Housing and Safer Communities
• Establishment of a corporate lead to monitor casework performance
• Drafting a casework reporting form for councillors
• Drafting an updated member protocol

Cabinet Member Update - Community Engagement

The panel received an update on community engagement from the cabinet member.

A key focus has been the implementation of the Community Engagement Pledge, which was agreed by the cabinet in July 2024. The pledge aims to improve trust between the council and residents, promote resident voices in decision-making, extend engagement opportunities, and build an engagement-ready culture within the council.

The council has been shortlisted for the Community Involvement Local Government Chronicle (LGC) Award for 2025 for its pilot project to engage and empower residents on the Woolwich Common Estate.

Cabinet Member Update - Finance, Resources and Social Value

The panel received an update from the cabinet member for finance, resources and social value.

The report provided a mid-administration update on progress against key priorities for 2022-2026. The Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) remains a significant focus, with agreed savings of £33.7m for 2024/25. The council has also bridged a gap of £46.7m to balance the budget for 2025/26.

Overall, seven out of nine key performance indicators are showing improved performance.