This week in Waltham Forest:

• The Outer North East London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee discussed NHS financial challenges, cancer services, and a proposed Superloop bus route.
• The Licensing Act 2003 Sub-Committee meeting was scheduled to discuss a review of Blondies' premises licence, but no transcript or video is available.

Outer North East London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Tuesday 15 April 2025

The Outer North East London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee met to discuss health updates, cancer services, and a proposed bus route.

NHS Financial Challenges and Potential Impact on Patient Care

Henry Black, Chief Finance Officer from North East London Integrated Care Board (ICB), provided an overview of significant changes happening within the NHS, including the government's announcement to abolish NHS England and the subsequent requirement for ICBs to reduce management costs by 50%.

Councillor Vance, an Essex County Councillor, raised concerns about the impact of these cuts on patient care. Black acknowledged the risk of restricted access or reduced services due to a real-terms cut in funding and increasing demand. He explained that the NHS budget had increased significantly since 2019, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, but demand and the acuity of patients' needs were consuming resources at an even greater rate.

Black stated that the ICB would prioritise clinical services to minimise any risk to patients, but he could not guarantee that there would be no impact on patient care. He clarified that the £46 million cut to the ICB's management costs was separate from the overall savings programmes and would potentially free up resources for patient care in the future.

Councillor Kaz Rizvi, from Epping Forest District Council, expressed concerns about potential job losses and the impact on local services. Black acknowledged that the cuts would have a knock-on effect and that the ICB was committed to providing real-time information and support to staff.

Cancer Services and Performance

Fiona Wheeler from Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT), and Femi Odewale, Managing Director of NEL Cancer Alliance, provided updates on cancer services and performance. Councillor Vance voiced concerns about BHRUT missing targets for cancer diagnosis and treatment, questioning why the targets were not set at 100%. Wheeler clarified that BHRUT had met the diagnostic standard, with 76.6% of patients receiving a diagnosis within 28 days, exceeding the 75% target. She acknowledged the impact of waiting times on patients and reassured the committee of the organisation's commitment to acting swiftly and prioritising cancer investigations.

Angela Wong, Chief Medical Officer for NEL Cancer Alliance, highlighted the alliance's work in preventing cancers, spotting them sooner, and providing timely treatment and support. She noted improvements in cancer screening uptake across most boroughs, particularly with the new lung cancer screening programme.

Councillor Vance suggested that it might be more useful to report on how many of the 4,500 patients on the cancer pathway are actually hitting the 62-day target from referral to treatment, rather than focusing solely on government targets.

Superloop Bus Route Proposal

Ian Buckmaster, representing Healthwatch Havering, presented a proposal for an alternative route for the Superloop bus service (SL12) in Havering. The Superloop is a network of express buses introduced by Transport for London (TfL). Buckmaster proposed rerouting the SL12 to serve Hornchurch town centre and the St George's Health and Wellbeing Hub, arguing that the current proposed route through Elm Park would add to congestion and not serve the health hub.

Buckmaster requested the committee's support for the proposal, which would be submitted to TfL as part of the ongoing consultation. He also requested a bus stop outside St George's, as the nearest bus stop is currently 110 metres away.

Councillor Vance and other members expressed support for the proposal, recognising the benefits of serving the health hub and reducing congestion. The committee agreed to endorse the proposal, subject to reviewing the final draft of the submission. Councillor Muhib Chowdhury asked if the proposed route would cross into Barking, and Buckmaster confirmed that it would serve the Beam Park development in the borough.

Licensing Act 2003 Sub-Committee - Thursday 17 April 2025

The Licensing Act 2003 Sub-Committee of Waltham Forest Council scheduled a meeting to discuss a review of the premises licence for Blondies at 258 Church Road, Leyton. The review was requested by Ursula Casserly, and relates to the prevention of public nuisance. No transcript or video is available.

This week in Waltham Forest:

• The Executive Decision approved the use of Right to Buy receipts to acquire 53 newbuild homes for affordable rent at Fellowship Square.
• The Cabinet meeting was cancelled.
• The Planning Committee discussed student accommodation, a roof extension, a change of use application, school redevelopment, and a new crematorium.
• The Executive Decision considered the re-procurement of laptops and associated services for council staff.
• The Licensing Act 2003 Sub-Committee reviewed the premises licence for Unions Cafe following concerns raised by the Metropolitan Police.
• The Housing and Inclusive Economy Scrutiny Committee discussed an ombudsman determination, an Inclusive Growth and Economy Framework, and a Housing Repairs and Maintenance Policy.
• The Children and Families Scrutiny Committee discussed the attendance policy and support for care experienced young people.
• The Executive Decision approved a contract for planned maintenance works to schools and corporate buildings.

Executive Decision - Monday 31 March 2025

Councillor Ahsan Khan, Deputy Leader (Housing and Regeneration), approved the use of Right to Buy (RtB) receipts to acquire 53 newbuild homes at the Fellowship Square development for affordable rent. The council will acquire core 3 in Block C from its Development Partner, Countryside Properties (UK) Limited. The acquisition will be fully funded by RtB Receipts, therefore there will be no requirement for any council borrowing.

The report stated that the flexibility to utilise RtB receipts to fund 100% of acquisition costs provides the council with an opportunity to bring additional affordable homes into its portfolio. These will provide high quality permanent homes for households on the borough’s Housing Register as well as for homeless households currently living in temporary accommodation. The average unit cost of temporary accommodation is £259 p.w. (£13,468 p.a.), and average waiting time for housing is about 5 years, which means that total savings per unit of social housing provided are c.£66,000.

The report stated that this opportunity to acquire the Fellowship Square units arose due to difficulty Countryside were experiencing in disposing of affordable blocks at the development to a Registered Provider, likely because of the economic position. It stated that rather than invest in new social housing, Registered Providers are instead undertaking substantial investment into their existing stock to improve quality, building safety, and decarbonisation commitments.

Planning Committee - Tuesday 01 April 2025

The Planning Committee discussed several planning applications, including a proposal for a new crematorium at Chingford Mount Cemetery, and the redevelopment of Burnside Secondary School.

The committee also discussed an application for permission to demolish existing buildings at 806 High Road, Leyton, except for the facade, and construct three blocks and an infill property on William Street. The development would provide purpose-built student accommodation and commercial floorspace. The Assistant Director – Development Management and Building Control recommended that planning permission be granted subject to conditions, informatives, and the completion of a Section 106 agreement. The Section 106 agreement would secure that at least 35% of the accommodation must be secured as affordable student accommodation.

Executive Decision - Tuesday 01 April 2025

Councillor Vicky Ashworth, Portfolio Lead Member for Stronger Communities, considered a report recommending the re-procurement of a supplier for the provision of laptops and associated services from 1 August 2025 for a period of two years, with an option to extend for one further year. The council anticipates needing to procure up to 1,000 laptops during the two-year contract period, primarily to replace devices that are end of life (usually six years old) and no longer viable. The report stated that laptops equipped with Windows 11 serve as the primary work and productivity tool for council staff, facilitating secure connectivity to Microsoft Office 365, email management, and communication through Microsoft Teams.

Licensing Act 2003 Sub-Committee - Tuesday 01 April 2025

The Licensing Act 2003 Sub-Committee convened to consider a review of the premises licence for Unions Cafe, located at 373 High Road, Leyton, E10 5NA. The application for the review of the premises licence was submitted by the Metropolitan Police, based on concerns regarding the prevention of crime and disorder, and public safety. The sub-committee was asked to consider the information provided by the Licensing Service, the premises licence holder, and any representations made.

Housing and Inclusive Economy Scrutiny Committee - Wednesday 02 April 2025

The Housing and Inclusive Economy Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to review a determination by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) regarding a complaint about the council's Prevention and Assessment Team's approach to assessing the affordability of private rented sector accommodation. The committee was also scheduled to review a report on the proposed Inclusive Growth and Economy Framework, described as a key mechanism to build an economy that works for everyone in Waltham Forest. The framework outlines a new cross-council approach across five pillars: Exemplar Design, Place Based Growth, Equitable Innovation and Productivity, Relationship Centered Approach, and Community Wealth.

The committee was also scheduled to review the proposed Housing Repairs and Maintenance Policy. The revised Housing Repairs and Maintenance Policy sets out the council's approach to delivering a repairs and maintenance service which meets the needs of tenants and leaseholders, and enables the council to meet its statutory, regulatory, and contractual obligations. This policy sets clear service standards, outlining what tenant, leaseholders and shared owners can expect from the council’s repairs and maintenance services, including timescales. The proposed policy incorporates the requirements of ‘Awaab's law’, which will require landlords to fix reported health and safety hazards within specified timescales.

Children and Families Scrutiny Committee - Wednesday 02 April 2025

The Children and Families Scrutiny Committee were scheduled to discuss the council's attendance policy, and the progress of support offered to care experienced young people in Waltham Forest, following the council's decision to recognise care leavers as having a protected characteristic. The committee was scheduled to receive an update on actions taken since the previous scrutiny report on 11 September 2024, regarding attendance, suspension, and permanent exclusion data for the academic year 2023/24. The report pack included the Waltham Forest Attendance Strategic Action Plan 2025-28, and the Waltham Forest Attendance Policy 2024/25.

The report pack stated that the council acknowledges the importance of a collaborative multi-agency approach in supporting care-experienced young people. A transitions panel has been established, including partner agencies such as the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), LBWF Housing, SEND, Virtual School, primary mental health, LBWF placements team, and LBWF probation. The council has successfully applied to redevelop the former George Mitchell Secondary School CDT Block into a new purpose-built Leaving Care Hub.

Executive Decision - Thursday 03 April 2025

The Director of Capital Strategy and Portfolio Management approved awarding the Measured Term Contract (MTC) for Multi-Trade Works to Kirkman & Jourdain Ltd for a two-year period, with the option to extend for two further one-year periods. The overall value of the contract would not exceed £4,000,000. The primary purpose of this contract is to support the School’s Capital Repairs Programme, maintaining the estate and ensuring the health and safety of all pupils and staff. Typical works include roof replacement, window replacement and repair, internal and external refurbishment, toilet refurbishments, pathway resurfacing, and structural repairs.

This week in Waltham Forest:

• The Health and Wellbeing Board was scheduled to discuss the Better Care Fund plan for 2025/26, which aims to integrate health and social care.
• The Communities and Public Protection Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to discuss neighbourhood policing, community safety, and review the committee's activities.
• The Climate Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to discuss air quality, climate action within procurement, and review the Enjoy Waltham Forest scheme.

Health and Wellbeing Board - Monday 24 March 2025

The Integrated Meeting of Waltham Forest Health & Wellbeing and Health & Care Partnership Boards was scheduled to discuss the Better Care Fund¹ (BCF) plan for 2025/26. The BCF is a national programme intended to integrate health and social care for residents. Under the BCF, NHS Integrated Care Boards and local authorities are required to agree on an integrated spending plan. The board was also scheduled to approve the minutes from the previous meeting held on 20 January 2025. The report pack stated that the BCF plan is a key enabler for the delivery of a number of local partnership plans that are closely related to BCF, including: the Waltham Forest Promoting Wellbeing Strategy (2023), the Mission Waltham Forest Strategy (2024), the North East London (NEL) Joint Forward Plan (2023), and the Interim North East London Integrated Care Strategy (2023).

Communities and Public Protection Scrutiny Committee - Wednesday 26 March 2025

The Communities and Public Protection Scrutiny Committee met to discuss community safety, neighbourhood policing, and review the committee's activities. The meeting included a review of corporate performance regarding community safety, an update on neighbourhood policing in Waltham Forest, and a review of the committee's work, forward plan, and action tracker. The meeting was scheduled to be the final one for the municipal year.

The committee was scheduled to discuss neighbourhood policing in Waltham Forest, with a focus on how the council and police work together to make communities safer. The report pack included the Citizens’ Assembly on the Future of Neighbourhood Policing Action Plan, and the committee was asked to note and agree to the police and council joint commitments and actions in response to the recommendations made by the members of the assembly.

The report pack stated that the council and police had launched a 'Safer Routes' pilot with funding from the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC). The scheme was co-designed with young people, and places youth workers on routes around schools to help children and young people feel safer on their way to and from school. The police and council have also held workshops with young people to co-design and deliver an inclusive mentoring scheme. The scheme will support young people to mentor policing staff at all levels, sharing their lived experiences of community safety and building opportunities for dialogue.

The report pack stated that the police have completed their review of ward panels, engaging with residents and other stakeholders to identify opportunities to improve the quality, consistency and inclusivity of panel meetings. The police are also producing a ‘Menu of options’ that collates all existing opportunities for residents to engage with the police, to provide residents with a strong voice in shaping and scrutinising policing, leading to positive outcomes for wider community safety.

The report pack stated that the police and council will co-host a borough wide community safety webinar in early April, providing residents with updates on actions the police and council are taking to keep people safe, with an opportunity to ask questions and share their concerns directly with local police and council leaders.

The committee was also scheduled to receive a report providing an overview of the performance indicators monitored by the council's community safety service. The report pack stated that the indicators are identified corporately as some of the main headline issues in the borough, requiring multi-agency input to effect any change. The report pack stated that the council’s Corporate Impact Report (CIR) monitors performance against the council’s key priorities and main challenges, with a focus on the impact of the council’s strategies, policies and interventions. It is structured around the council's shared missions for the borough and council as set out in Mission Waltham Forest.

The report pack stated that new VAWG indicators have been included into the reporting cycle, however it is important to acknowledge that a a service we routinely monitor these trends along with our key partners on a regular basis through VAWG partnership, MARAC², joint precision policing meetings and problem solving.

Climate Scrutiny Committee - Thursday 27 March 2025

The Climate Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to meet to discuss the council's air quality, climate action within procurement, and a review of the Enjoy Waltham Forest scheme. The committee was also expected to review action and recommendation trackers from previous meetings. This was scheduled to be the final meeting for the municipal year.

The committee was scheduled to review a report on the sustainable transport infrastructure schemes and behaviour change initiatives delivered through the 10 Years of the Enjoy Waltham Forest Programme, and the outcomes and benefits realised to date. The programme was initially funded in 2014 with a £27 million grant from Transport for London (TfL). According to the report pack, the programme aimed to encourage residents and businesses to use more sustainable modes of transport and reduce dependency on private vehicles.

The report pack noted that over the past 10 years, the following infrastructure had been introduced across the borough: over 55km of protected and semi-protected cycle routes, over 85 modal filters on residential streets to remove through-traffic, 180 new or improved crossings, over 900 trees, over 55 public spaces, over 45 new pocket parks and parklets, and 11 Cycle Hubs at Overground and Underground stations with 764 spaces in total. The report pack also stated that 900 Bikehangars had been installed on residential streets across Waltham Forest since 2015, providing secure and convenient cycle parking spaces for 5,400 residents at a cost of £39 per year.

The report pack stated that future infrastructure schemes for 2025 and beyond include the introduction of protected cycle lanes on Forest Road between The Bell Junction and Woodford New Road, on Whipps Cross Road and High Road Leytonstone. The report pack stated that key targets for the upcoming financial year include introducing a further 300 Bikehangars, bringing the total in the borough to 1,200, and having 2,500 EV charging points by spring 2026.

The committee was scheduled to discuss a report setting out the steps the council is taking to embed climate considerations in procurement processes and decisions across the organisation. The report pack stated that the council's Climate Action Plan commits to: “placing climate action at the heart of everything we buy and undergo a culture shift in our procurement”. The report pack stated that the largest share of the council’s carbon footprint are indirect emissions, which are those generated by the council’s supply chain and purchased energy.

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on air quality in the borough. The report pack stated that Waltham Forest designated the whole borough as an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) in 2001 because of exceedances of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Particulate Matter (PM10) air quality objectives. The report pack stated that in 2023 there was no exceedance of the legal limits, for the first time since measurements began. The report pack stated that according to current monitoring and modelling data, wood burning has been identified as the second largest emission source of PM2.5 in the borough and across London, behind road transport.

This week in Waltham Forest:

• The Scrutiny Coordinating Committee on Tuesday discussed the performance of the council against its key targets, received an update on the new Community Offer being piloted at Walthamstow Library, and heard about two new performance metrics: Cumulative proportion of working days lost to staff sickness and Number of new homes with planning permission.
• The Audit and Governance Committee was due to meet on Wednesday but was postponed.
• The Health and Wellbeing Board was due to meet on Thursday but no transcript or video is available.

Scrutiny Coordinating Committee - Tuesday 18 March 2025

This meeting received a report on the performance of the council against its key targets, and an update on the performance of its libraries.

Corporate Performance

This report provided an update on the council's corporate impact for the three months to the end of January 2025. The framework used to track corporate impact contains around 90 impact metrics, split across the six shared missions in the Mission Waltham Forest plan, which you might recall was adopted by the council in March 2023.

The report drew the attention of Councillors to areas of strategic importance and risk, highlighting temporary accommodation, the number of repairs to Council-owned homes completed on time, and the number of adults aged 65 and over admitted to care homes as areas of particular concern. You may recall that in previous emails, The Open Council Network Agent reported that the council was forecasting an overspend of £20.522 million for the current financial year, with the greatest overspend on Temporary Accommodation.

The report explained that the council had introduced a new way of measuring corporate performance in June 2024. This new system included a new set of impact metrics with more detailed commentary, a new dashboard, and an improved process for data collection and monitoring. Two new metrics, intended to monitor staff absence and the delivery of new homes, have been added to the framework since then:

• Cumulative proportion of working days lost to staff sickness (CPR 95)
• Number of new homes with planning permission or resolution to grant planning permission (CPR 96)

The report suggested that there might be a link between the number of over 65s admitted to care homes and the council's new strength-based approaches for supporting people to live independently.

Library Services Update

This report provided the Scrutiny Committee with an update on the Council run Library Service.

Waltham Forest Council currently operates eight libraries across the borough: Chingford Library, Hale End Library, Higham Hill Library, Lea Bridge Library, Leyton Library, Leytonstone Library, Walthamstow Library, and Wood Street Library.

The report described the strategic vision for libraries, provided an update on the new enhanced community offer being piloted at Walthamstow Library, and an update on the performance of the service.

The report explained that the Library service moved to the Stronger Communities Directorate in January 2024. This directorate brought together preventative services from across the council, with an emphasis on early intervention. The library service is intended to enable a more coordinated approach to supporting community well-being.

The report described the council's vision for its libraries:

The London Borough of Waltham Forest’s vision for library services is to create vibrant, inclusive spaces that foster lifelong learning, enhance community well-being and ensure residents have everything they need to thrive.

It went on to describe how library staff are working more closely with other council teams, including Adult Early Help, Children's Early Help, Public Health and Employment Support, and explained that 75 library staff have received training in relational practice.

The report also provided information about the types of services provided as part of the new 'Community Offer' at Walthamstow Library, the number of sessions provided, and the attendance at those sessions. The report explained how the council was working with researchers from UCL to evaluate the success of the Walthamstow Library Community Offer:

Waltham Forest Council, in partnership with UCL’s Bartlett & STEaPP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy), is developing an evaluation framework and co-designing this offer to better serve local residents. The initiative focuses on gathering feedback from library users, informing service improvements, and shaping the future direction of the library’s community services. Facilitated by UCL STEaPP and supported by LBWF, this collaboration seeks to create inclusive, community-driven spaces that respond to the changing needs and aspirations of the community.