The Scrutiny Coordinating Committee met to review the council's corporate impact framework, discuss the outcomes of task and finish workshops on key service areas, and consider the ongoing scrutiny work programme. The meeting focused on understanding performance metrics, identifying areas for deeper investigation, and ensuring the council's strategic objectives are being met.

Corporate Impact Framework

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the council's Corporate Impact Framework (CIF) for the period ending November 2025. This framework, introduced in June 2024, aims to measure the council's impact against its key priorities and challenges, aligning with the goals set out in Mission Waltham Forest. The CIF provides a central point for accessing key metrics to monitor progress towards the council's missions, identify risks, and redeploy resources effectively. The report was expected to highlight specific metrics for the committee's consideration, including those related to building an inclusive economy, such as the claimant count aged 16+ (CPR 97), and adult social care demand, measured by the rate of requests for support per 100,000 population (CPR 24). Discussions were also anticipated regarding customer experience, with a focus on average waiting times for calls to be answered (CPR 207). The committee was also to be presented with priorities for the wider development of the CIF in the coming quarter, including benchmarking against other local authorities and strengthening strategic alignment with corporate priorities and external reporting frameworks like the Local Government Outcomes Framework (LGOF).

Task and Finish Workshop Overview

The committee was scheduled to receive an overview of three hackathon-style workshops that took place during the 2025/26 municipal year. These workshops aimed to conduct deep dives into areas of high demand and financial pressure within council services: Adult Social Care (ASC), Temporary Accommodation (TA), and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The report was expected to summarise the discussions, key questions raised, and potential strategies identified to promote financial stability within these services. For ASC, discussions were anticipated around an £8.5 million overspend and the progress of the Transformation Programme, with concerns raised about residential placement costs and governance procedures. The TA session was expected to cover the challenges of increasing supply, prevention work, and the financial impact of the national housing crisis, with a focus on the £14 million forecasted TA pressures. The SEND workshop was anticipated to address a significant overspend driven by a high rate of Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCPs) and associated costs, with discussions likely to cover delays in EHCP completion, parental preference, and the financial burden of home-to-school transport and high-needs block deficits.

The Scrutiny Report

This item was scheduled to provide the committee with an update on its ongoing work, including the review of the Forward Plan for the remainder of the municipal year and suggestions for the 2025-2026 cycle. The committee was also invited to review and comment on the Action Tracker, which details actions required of officers from previous meetings and their progress, as well as the Recommendation Tracker, which captures the committee's conclusions on how services should change or improve. The report was also expected to outline any key decisions falling within the remit of the scrutiny committee, as published in the Cabinet Forward Plan. The committee's forward plan for the 2025-2026 cycle was also to be presented, detailing proposed items such as Corporate Impact Scrutiny, Workforce and Culture updates, and the WF Max initiative.

The committee's forward plan for the 2025/26 municipal year included several key items for discussion across different scrutiny committees. The Communities and Public Protection Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to review the Community Safety Partnership's structure and plan, the Knife Crime Mission, and the Problem-Solving Partnership Meeting. The Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee was set to examine updates on vaccine uptake, the Marmot Response, and the S75 Agreement for the Better Care Fund. The Housing and Inclusive Economy Scrutiny Committee was to discuss the adoption of Local Plan Part 2, the Temporary Accommodation Strategy, and the Housing Asset Management Strategy. The Budget Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to review the Revenue Outturn Report, the Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS), and the Budget and Council Tax Setting for 2026/27. The Children and Families Scrutiny Committee was to consider SEND Inspection findings, the SEND Strategy, and the Local Safeguarding Children Annual Report. Finally, the Climate Scrutiny Committee was to receive updates on Street Lighting, the performance of the FCC contract, and the EV Strategy.

The Cabinet Forward Plan, published in February 2026, indicated several key decisions scheduled for the coming months. These included decisions on the grant of a long lease for St James Health Centre, the Hatherley Mews Redevelopment, and the High Needs Centre and Family Resilience Centre. Other planned decisions covered the direct award for emergency community equipment supplies, demand management in Waltham Forest, the NHS Health Check Programme, and the retrospective agreement for the delivery of the Section 75 Out of Hours Service. The budget for 2026/27, the Housing Revenue Account Budget, and the Capital Investment Strategy were also listed for consideration. Decisions regarding the S75 Agreement for the Better Care Fund, the Temporary to Settled Accommodation Housing Delivery Plan, and proposals to inflate the contract value for Professional Civil Engineering Services were also on the horizon. The Cabinet was also scheduled to consider the Electric Vehicle Charging Point Strategy and the Budget 2026/27.