The Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Hounslow Council met on Thursday, 26 March 2026, to review key performance indicators for resident experience, discuss emergency planning and resilience, and receive updates from various scrutiny panels. The meeting also included a review of the council's forward plan and work programme.

Resident Experience: Key Performance Indicators and Resident Participation

The committee was scheduled to review Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and new targets designed to improve service delivery and resident experience. The report outlined the Resident Experience Service's aim to create a seamless and accessible front-door for residents through digital innovation and process improvements. It detailed existing KPIs, such as the percentage of contact centre calls answered and corporate complaints responded to within service level agreements, and highlighted the introduction of a new Resident Portal, MyHounslow, which aims to provide a more integrated transactional experience for residents.

Emergency Planning and Resilience Preparedness

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to discussing emergency planning and resilience preparedness. The report detailed Hounslow Council's approach to resilience, its performance against the Resilience Standards for London, and the framework for learning from emergencies. As a Category 1 responder under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, the council has statutory duties including undertaking risk assessments, maintaining emergency and business continuity plans, and communicating with the public. The report indicated that most resilience standards were assessed as established, with Community Resilience being developing, and outlined the council's governance structure for resilience, resourcing for emergency response and humanitarian assistance, and training and exercising activities undertaken. The report also detailed the council's partnerships with other agencies and the role of elected members in emergencies, referencing recent incidents such as a power loss to Heathrow and surrounding areas and a large fire at the Meadowcroft Sheltered Accommodation scheme.

Scrutiny Panel Reports - 2025/26 Deep Dive Recommendations

The committee was set to review the recommendations from its Scrutiny Panels' deep-dive work for the 2025/26 municipal year. The Children and Young People Scrutiny Panel had focused on the Families First Partnership Programme, with recommendations including providing translation support for vulnerable families, reviewing referral pathways, working with community groups, and providing evidence on support for families with very young children and adolescents. The Health and Adults Care Scrutiny Panel had examined pressures in adult social care, recommending that clear evidence be provided on how a new model of care will deliver measurable system efficiencies, assurance on workforce capacity, a comprehensive overview of training, a clear plan for managing increased demand, articulation of the rationale for targeted patient cohorts, and specific actions to improve engagement with hard-to-reach groups. The Housing and Environment Scrutiny Panel's recommendations included introducing a regular update cycle for land ownership records, providing targeted training for staff on using ownership data, and creating a cross-departmental Land Ownership Working Group.

Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee Update

An update was scheduled on the work of the North West London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (JHOSC). This committee brings together representatives from nine boroughs to scrutinise NHS services. The report indicated that the agenda for the upcoming JHOSC meeting included items on the planned temporary move of specialist children's heart, lung, and critical care inpatient services, cancer prevention and early diagnosis, and transforming a specialist learning disability child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) ward.

Work Programme Review - Suggestions for 2026/27

The committee was asked to suggest areas for inclusion in the 2026/27 work programming activity. The report emphasised the importance of keeping the work programme under regular review to ensure it remains relevant and responsive to emerging issues.

Forward Plan Review

The committee was scheduled to review the council's Forward Plan, which lists all key decisions to be taken by the Cabinet and its sub-groups. This review is a key element of good governance, allowing the committee to engage with future key decisions in a timely manner and consider emergent issues.