The Overview & Scrutiny Committee of Tower Hamlets Council met on Monday 26 January 2026 to review several key council functions and decisions. The meeting's agenda included updates on the Be Well leisure service, the council's communication strategy, and a challenge session on reducing road danger and deaths. Additionally, the committee was scheduled to consider a called-in decision regarding amendments to the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy approach.

Amendments to Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy Approach - Call-in

The committee was scheduled to consider a decision made by the Mayor in Cabinet concerning amendments to the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL) approach. This decision, which was called in by several councillors, proposed changes to the framework for allocating NCIL funds. The report indicated that the proposed amendments aimed to introduce more flexibility into the current approach, allowing for a broader range of interventions beyond capital projects to include revenue projects. This flexibility was intended to minimise delays in spending NCIL funds and ensure local improvements are delivered in a timely manner.

The call-in highlighted concerns regarding the proportionality and best value of using NCIL for revenue substitution, potential sustainability risks due to the volatile nature of NCIL income, and a perceived lack of due and proper consultation with the community. Legal questions were also raised about the potential misapplication of CIL Regulations and the sweep-up of community funds. Furthermore, concerns were raised about compounded equalities and statutory failures, particularly regarding the loss of physical accessibility and environmental and crime reduction duties. An alternative course of action was proposed, including halting revenue substitution, mandatory neighbourhood plan alignment, ring-fencing grant underspends, and a full audit of abortive costs.

Be Well Progress Update January to December 2025

An update was scheduled on the progress of the Be Well leisure service during 2025. This report detailed the transition of the leisure service from its previous outsourced provider, GLL Better Leisure Ltd, to an in-house model. The report was expected to cover the challenges encountered during this complex process, including issues with data access, cultural change, operational stability, and the restructuring of the service. Despite these challenges, the transition was described as broadly successful with limited impact on service users. The report was also set to outline the focus on stabilising operations, strengthening governance, and improving customer experience, alongside plans for reorganisation, recruitment, and the development of business plans and key performance indicators (KPIs). Key performance indicators related to membership growth, financial performance, and reorganisation timelines were expected to be presented. The report was also to detail facility repairs, capital investment plans for 2025-26, operational systems, quality management, commercial plans, and public health initiatives.

Communication Strategy 2022-2026

The committee was scheduled to review the council's corporate Communications Strategy for 2022-2026. This strategy, which had been praised in various external reports, outlines the council's approach to communicating with residents, businesses, and staff. The report was expected to cover the strategy's objectives, including telling the council's story and promoting Tower Hamlets as a place, expanding from broadcast communications to conversations, designing services from a user perspective, and better planning for improved outcomes. It was also to detail the council's communication priorities for 2025-26, external and internal campaigns, and the various channels used for communication. The strategy emphasizes the importance of early involvement of the Communications Service in projects to ensure consistent messaging and mitigate reputational risks.

Scrutiny Challenge Session: Reducing Road Danger and Deaths

The committee was scheduled to review the findings and recommendations from a Scrutiny Challenge Session focused on reducing road danger and deaths in the borough. The report was expected to detail eight recommendations aimed at increasing the ambition and clarity of the road safety plan, rebalancing road space to prioritise vulnerable road users, investing in infrastructure over education and enforcement, strengthening enforcement measures, prioritising interventions near schools, ensuring a full Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) is completed and used to influence interventions, engaging residents and community organisations, and emphasising modal shift as a road safety measure. The report was to highlight that Tower Hamlets has a high rate of killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties, with pedestrians, cyclists, and young people disproportionately affected. The challenge session involved various stakeholders, including residents, community groups, and council officers, to gather evidence and inform the recommendations.

Forthcoming Decisions

The committee was also scheduled to review the Forthcoming Decisions Plan, which outlines significant decisions expected to be taken by the Mayor and Cabinet in the coming months. This includes key decisions related to housing strategies, community grants, infrastructure levies, and various service contracts and regeneration projects.

The agenda also included standard procedural items such as receiving apologies for absence, declarations of interest, and confirming the minutes of the previous meeting. The committee was also to receive updates from Scrutiny Leads and consider any urgent, unrestricted business. A portion of the meeting was designated for exempt/confidential business, which would involve the exclusion of the press and public.