The Environment, Sustainability, Culture and Sports Committee met on 11 February 2026, discussing the council's financial performance for the third quarter of the year, the proposed budget for the upcoming financial year, and an update on the delivery of the Richmond Climate and Nature Strategy. Key decisions included the approval of revised fees and charges for various services and noting the proposed budget for 2026/27.

Q3 Budget Monitoring Report

The committee received an update on the council's financial performance for the third quarter of the 2025/26 financial year. The overall projected overspend for the services falling under this committee's remit was £566,000 against a total budget of £36.864 million.

Within Resident Services, a projected overspend of £527,000 was reported. The Leisure services faced a £72,000 overspend in Libraries, attributed to staffing costs, though this represented an improvement on previous quarters. The Waste & Recycling services showed a significant projected overspend of £389,000, primarily driven by increased disposal costs for dry mixed recycling, which have risen due to market fluctuations. The service is implementing measures to mitigate this, including efforts to reduce contamination and boost recycling uptake.

The Chief Executive's Group reported a projected overspend of £115,000, with variances noted in Emergency Planning and Business Support within Regulatory Services. The Growth and Place Directorate, however, was forecasting an underspend of £80,000.

The committee also reviewed the capital programme, noting a revised budget of £8.019 million for the committed capital programme and £1.216 million in the development pool. The projected outturn for the year was £5.483 million. Significant variances were noted in several projects, including the Leisure Infrastructure Plan and the Townmead Road Fire Suppression System.

Directorate Budget Report 2026/27

The committee considered the proposed revenue budget for 2026/27, which totals £37.256 million. This represents an increase from the 2025/26 budget, largely due to inflation, estimated at £1.567 million, covering pay awards and contract inflation.

Key changes include:

• Inflationary Increases: An additional £1.567 million is allocated to cover inflation, including pay awards and contract price increases. A central contingency is held for future pay awards and contract growth.
• West London Waste Authority Levy: An increase of £454,000 is projected for the levy paid to the West London Waste Authority, driven by anticipated increases in disposal costs for waste and recycling. Residual waste disposal costs are expected to rise by 6.6%.
• Demand-Led Growth: An additional £69,300 is budgeted for waste collection costs due to an anticipated increase in residential properties.
• Efficiency Savings: Total efficiency savings of £394,900 are identified, including £99,300 from the new GLL leisure contract and £255,600 from the council's Transformation Programme, aimed at cost mitigation measures and waste diversion.
• Investment Priorities: £727,600 is allocated for investment priorities, including £157,600 from the Richmond Climate and Nature Strategy Fund and £108,400 to bolster the Climate Change team to support the delivery of the new Climate and Nature Strategy. Funding is also allocated for the continuation of the Climate Action Microgrants programme and the expansion of the food waste service to blocks of flats, requiring two additional waste collection rounds at a cost of £540,000.
• Income Generation: An additional income of £209,700 is projected from revised fees and charges, generally indexed in line with inflation (CPI rate of 3.8% for August 2025). Fees for garden waste collections are set to increase by approximately 5% to cover rising costs, while commercial recycling charges are proposed to be frozen to remain competitive.
• Other Growth and Savings: A net decrease of £826,100 includes a reduction of £491,400 due to a lower employer contribution rate for the Pension Fund and the reversal of a £225,000 one-off project investment from the previous year for a communications plan to support recycling efforts.

The committee approved the proposed revision of charges and noted the proposed budget for 2026/27.

Update on the Richmond Climate and Nature Strategy

The committee received an update on the progress of the Richmond Climate and Nature Strategy, which was approved in July 2025 and sets out the strategic approach to climate change until 2030. The strategy focuses on three key areas: becoming a carbon-neutral organisation by 2030, creating a low-carbon, sustainable, and resilient borough, and working with communities to take action on climate change.

Key highlights from the report include:

• Organisational Emissions: A further reduction in the council's carbon emissions, totalling a 70% reduction since the 2018-19 baseline year. The council continues to purchase zero-carbon electricity.
• Smarter Homes Hub: Development of a hub to provide residents with information on home retrofit, due to launch in March.
• Warm Home Packs: Distribution of nearly 2,000 packs to fuel-poor households over three years to improve energy efficiency.
• Reuse and Repair Hub: The Fixery, a pilot reuse and repair hub, is set to open in March at Grove Gardens Chapel.
• EV Charging Points: Installation of over 1,150 EV charge points, the highest number for any outer London borough.
• Biodiversity: Launch of the Biodiversity Action Plan and publication of the first statutory biodiversity report, submitted to DEFRA.
• Resilience: Development of rain gardens and parklets to address climate resilience, flood reduction, and overheating.
• Community Engagement: Nearly 30 climate action microgrants awarded to support community initiatives.

The committee also discussed recommendations from the Policy and Performance Review Board on grass verge management for nature recovery. The report highlighted the success of the rural cut regime in promoting biodiversity, with a decrease in negative indicator species and reduced grass cover observed. The committee was asked to provide feedback on priority areas for the next version of the Climate and Nature Strategy Action Plan, with suggestions including a greater focus on affordability, community resilience, and household-level resilience measures.

The committee agreed to note the organisational carbon emissions, the highlights of the strategy's focus areas, the statutory biodiversity report, and the recommendations from the Policy and Performance Review Board on highway grass verges. They also agreed that a refreshed action plan would be presented in June 2026.

Committee Work Programme

The committee reviewed its work programme. For the meeting on 24 March 2026, an update from the Low Waste Working Group and a report on Culture Richmond - delivery update were added. For the meeting on 17 June 2026, a report on New Funerary Approaches (following the Law Commission review) and the Richmond Climate and Nature Strategy Action Plan will be presented. The West London Waste Plan and a report on Richmond Toilets were noted as items to be scheduled for future meetings. The committee also discussed the potential inclusion of reports on the management of conservation sites and litter enforcement.

The meeting was attended by Councillor Julia Neden-Watts (Chair), Councillor Alan Juriansz (Vice-Chair), Councillor John Coombs, Councillor Elizabeth Gant, Councillor Zoe McLeod, Councillor Laura O'Brien, Councillor Fiona Sacks, and Councillor Chas Warlow. Apologies were received from Councillor Sam Dalton. Officers present included Paul Chadwick, Executive Director of Resident Services, and Alex Moylan, Assistant Director for Finance and Performance.