The Children, Education and Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee are scheduled to meet on Tuesday 10 June 2025 at The Guildhall, St Giles Street, Northampton NN1 1DE. The agenda includes an overview of key priorities, risks and challenges for service areas, and initial consideration of the committee work programme for 2025/26. The committee will also be advised of the areas within its remit.

Overview of key priorities, risks and challenges

The committee is scheduled to receive a presentation on the key priorities, risks, and challenges in the service areas within its remit. These areas include:

• Education
• Family help and family hubs
• Northamptonshire Children's Trust
• Housing

Development of the Committee work programme for 2025/26

The committee will give initial consideration to the content of its work programme for 2025/26.

The minutes from the meeting held on 12 March 2025 include a recommendation that the Children, Education and Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee appointed for 2025/26 should include the following matters in its work programme:

• Trends in relation to Elective Home Education
• Support for children and young people's mental health and the role of schools as an access point for these services.
• Family help and work by West Northamptonshire Council on the development of family hubs.

The prior meeting also agreed to recommend that the impact of smartphone usage on children and young people and phone free policies in schools be investigated by the Committee in the next municipal year, after Mrs. Katie Moore raised the impact of smartphones and social media on children, and advocated for a smartphone free policy in Primary Schools.

Remit of the Children, Education and Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee

The committee is scheduled to be advised of the areas within its remit. According to the report pack, the three Overview and Scrutiny committees operated by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) and their respective remits are as follows:

The report pack notes that each Overview and Scrutiny committee is composed of 11 councillors, reflecting the political balance of the authority, and has seven scheduled committee meetings during the year, and that Overview and Scrutiny committees may establish sub groups, referred to at WNC as task and finish panels, to carry out specific work on behalf of the committee.