The Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Haringey Council met on 20 October 2025 to discuss feedback and resolutions, customer service experiences, and future scrutiny reviews. The committee, chaired by Councillor Matt White, was also scheduled to review the minutes of several Scrutiny Panel meetings and to discuss its work programme.

Annual Feedback and Resolutions

The committee was scheduled to consider the Annual Feedback and Resolutions Report 2024/25, which provides an overview of feedback received by the council between April 2024 and March 2025. The report highlights how the council has acted on feedback to drive improvements.

The report notes that feedback plays a vital role in helping Haringey Council listen to residents and enhance the services we deliver, in line with the commitments set out in the Haringey Deal. The Haringey Deal, launched in November 2022, is a set of commitments aimed at reshaping the council's relationship with residents and communities.

The report also details steps taken to improve how the council handles complaints and member's enquiries. According to the report, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) and the Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS) introduced new, aligned Complaint Handling Codes, which came into effect on 1 April 2024. The codes require local authorities and landlords to demonstrate how they comply with the codes and how they are learning from feedback throughout the year, evidenced through the publication of an annual self-assessment report.

Customer Services

The committee was scheduled to discuss the experience of residents in contacting the council. A report titled Customer Services Telephony Cover Report and a report on Digital Service Modernisation were listed for consideration.

The Customer Services Telephony Cover Report included information on:

• Customer contact data
• Customer satisfaction
• Call abandonment rates
• Telephony performance

The Digital Service Modernisation report included information on:

• The council's digital strategy
• Progress on digital transformation projects
• Plans for future digital service improvements

Scrutiny Reviews

The committee was scheduled to consider and approve the scoping documents and terms of reference for two scrutiny reviews:

• Provision of Services for Under 1's and Delivery of Outcomes (Children & Young People's Scrutiny Panel)
• Cycling Safety and the Walking & Cycling Action Plan (Culture, Community Safety & Environment Scrutiny Panel)

Provision of Services for Under 1's and Delivery of Outcomes

The Children and Young People's Scrutiny Panel were scheduled to undertake a review of the provision of services for under 1's. According to the scoping document, the panel decided to look into services for this age group because they felt that these services attract less scrutiny than that of older children and nursery provision. The panel planned to consider what provision in Haringey looks like for both the 0-6 months age range and the 9 months to 12 months age range, what the take up of these services is, and whether there is enough provision to meet the demand. The panel also planned to look at the Council's public health outcomes and commissioned public health services, alongside those that sit in children's services.

The review aims to make recommendations to the council's cabinet in relation to the provision of services for children under the age of one.

Cycling Safety and the Walking & Cycling Action Plan

The Culture, Community Safety & Environment Scrutiny Panel were scheduled to undertake a review of cycling safety in the borough. According to the scoping document, the review will focus on the impact of safety as a result of an increase in cycling in the borough, and will consider the current and proposed infrastructure to support cyclists in the borough. The panel also planned to consider the impact of increased use of electric bikes and illegal adapted bikes on the safety of pedestrians, and to explore the issue of enforcement and the approach in respect of illegal bikes.

The review aims to make recommendations to the council's cabinet in relation to developing policy and proposals for improving cycling infrastructure in the borough for cyclists whilst also ensuring that increased cycling is not to the detriment of pavement users.

Minutes of Scrutiny Panel Meetings

The committee was scheduled to receive and note the minutes of the following Scrutiny Panels and to approve any recommendations contained within:

• 23rd June 2025 Housing, Planning & Development Scrutiny Panel
• 30th June 2025 Adult & Health Scrutiny Panel
• 14th July 2025 Children & Young People's Scrutiny Panel
• 28th July 2025 Culture, Community Safety & Environment Scrutiny Panel

Housing, Planning & Development Scrutiny Panel

The minutes of the Housing, Planning and Development Scrutiny Panel meeting of 23 June 2025 included discussion of:

• Housing Adaptations: The panel received a report on how the Occupational Therapy (OT) Aids and Adaptions service operated and how it interfaced with Housing.
• Housing Service Performance Scrutiny 2024/25 Outturn: The Panel received a presentation which provided an overview of Housing Service performance, comparing year-end results for 2024/25 and 2023/24.
• Housing Resident Engagement Impact Assessment April 2023 to December 2024: The Panel received a report which set out a summary of the Resident Engagement Annual Review that covered the financial year 2023-2024.
• Cabinet Member Questions with the Cabinet Member for Housing & Planning: The Panel undertook a verbal Q&A session with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, Councillor Sarah Williams, on matters arising in her portfolio.

Adult & Health Scrutiny Panel

The minutes of the Adult & Health Scrutiny Panel meeting of 30 June 2025 included discussion of:

• Adult Carers Strategy: The Panel received a report for the Haringey Carers Strategy 2025-28, providing an update on the Council's work with carers, voluntary and community sector partners, specialist services and networks that support carers in Haringey.
• Q3 Finance Update: The report for this item provided a finance update for Quarter 3 of 2024/25.
• Corporate Delivery Plan - Q3 Performance Update: The report for this item provided a performance update on the Corporate Delivery Plan for Quarter 3 of 2024/25.
• Cabinet Member Questions: Councillor Lucia das Neves, Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care & Wellbeing, responded to questions from the Panel on issues within her portfolio.

Children & Young People's Scrutiny Panel

The minutes of the Children and Young People's Scrutiny Panel meeting of 14 July 2025 included discussion of:

• Children's Social Care Performance Q1 to June 2025: The Panel received a presentation that provided an analysis of the performance data and trends for a set of performance measures relating to Looked After Children (LAC), Children on Child Protection Plans (CPP) and Children in Need (CIN).
• Private Fostering Annual Report 2024/25: The Panel received a report which provided an overview of activity in regard to private fostering for the municipal year 2024/25.
• Cabinet Member Questions - Cabinet Member for Children, Schools & Families: The Panel received a verbal update from the Cabinet Member for Children, Schools & Families on developments within her portfolio, followed by a verbal question and answer session with the Cabinet Member.

Culture, Community Safety and Environment Scrutiny Panel

The minutes of the Culture, Community Safety and Environment Scrutiny Panel meeting of 28 July 2025 included discussion of:

• Draft Anti-Social Behaviour Policy: The committee were briefed that the policy was developed to define responsibilities, processes and procedures relating to ASB and outlines the Council's approach to tackling antisocial behaviour.
• Good Neighbourhood Management Policy: The committee were briefed that the Good Neighbourhood Management policy is in response to the Housing Ombudsman spotlight on noise report recommendation which recommended that landlords have a proactive good neighbourhood management policy distinct to the ASB policy.
• Climate Change Action Plan: The chair introduced the Climate Change Action Plan update, which responds to previous requests from the panel to look at the structure and the progress made to date.

Work Programme Update

The committee was scheduled to note the current 2025/26 work programme and propose any amendments. The draft work plan included as Appendix A to the Work Programme Update listed the following potential items for future meetings:

• Budget Scrutiny 2026/27 Strategy & Engagement
• Finance and Performance update – Q2
• Budget Scrutiny - Panel feedback and recommendations.
• Treasury Management Strategy Statement
• Non-finance items (TBD) Worklessness
• Finance and Performance update – Q3

The document also noted that the committee had two scrutiny reviews scheduled:

• Hospital Discharge
• Violence Against Women & Girls