The Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Westminster Council met on Thursday 16 July 2026 to discuss its work programme, receive updates from other Policy and Scrutiny Committees, and consider the development of the Council's Corporate Strategy. Key actions included approving the scope for a new task group focused on the Pimlico District Heating Undertaking Programme and endorsing a strengthened process for making scrutiny recommendations.

Work Programme 2026/27

The Committee reviewed its draft work programme for the upcoming municipal year. Discussions highlighted the importance of scrutinising the Council's budget engagement exercise once it had taken place, focusing on resident engagement and the representativeness of responses. The Committee agreed that the Annual Report of Policy and Scrutiny Activity for 2026/27 should consider the work of the scrutiny function and its informal processes within the new structure.

Policy and Scrutiny Committee Updates

Verbal updates were received from the chairs of several Policy and Scrutiny Committees:

• Growth and Planning and Children's and Education Policy and Scrutiny Committee: Councillor Elizabeth Hitchcock reported on a substantive item concerning the correlation between school attendance and young people who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET), particularly for 16 and 17-year-olds. The committee had made achievable and trackable recommendations. The work programme was noted to be initially weighted towards the Growth and Planning portfolio.
• City Management and Housing and Regeneration Policy and Scrutiny Committee: Councillor Ed Pitt Ford provided an update on the committee's first meeting, which focused on housing regulation and legislation and the preparedness of the Housing service. A key recommendation was made regarding the recording of regulatory breaches. Future work will examine the billing, metering, and charging of heating systems.
• Adults and Health Policy and Scrutiny Committee: Councillor Selina Short reported that the committee had discussed homecare mobilisation and its progress. The next meeting would include a report from the Integrated Care Board.
• Enforcement and Resident Services and Civic Pride Policy and Scrutiny Committee: Councillor Melvyn Caplan stated that the committee's initial focus was on enforcement, aligning with the new portfolio's priorities. Future meetings will monitor progress against key enforcement priorities and consider the leisure contract.
• Value for Money and Transformation Policy and Scrutiny Committee: Councillor Rachael Robathan, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, updated on the committee's review of the Capital Programme, including delays and management processes. Recommendations were made to improve the challenge provided by the Capital Review Group and strengthen oversight of capital receipts. The committee's next meeting will focus on the Fit for the Future programme.

Leader's Update

Councillor Paul Swaddle OBE, Leader of the Council, provided an update and thanked members for their scrutiny work. The Committee raised several questions regarding:

• Major Contracts Review: The scope, value thresholds, transparency, and scrutiny of contracts entered into before 2022.
• Key Worker and Intermediate Housing: The review of existing schemes and the potential impact on the housing waiting list if social housing supply is reduced.
• District Heating and Individual Electric Heating: The sharing of correspondence with the Minister for Energy regarding retrofitting district heat networks and enabling individual electric heating systems.
• Live Facial Recognition: Clarification on discussions with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner regarding its use for public safety.
• Data-Led Enforcement: Success measures for the enforcement reset to demonstrate improved safety.
• Thames Water and Flooding: The discussion of insurance with Thames Water and concerns about water supply infrastructure, including at Fountain Court.
• Surface Water Management: The potential use of permeable materials to reduce run-off.
• Dockless Bikes: The need for an effective reporting mechanism and enforcement to reduce poorly parked bikes.
• Illegal Short-Term Lets: The use of data and AI to tackle unlawful short-term lets in Council-owned properties and the national registration scheme.
• Illegal Longer-Term Lets: Whether longer-term subletting by Council tenants would receive similar attention to short-term lets.
• Governance, Risk, and Root Cause Analysis: The consistent recording of legislative breaches, root cause analysis, centralised risk management, and controls.
• Candy Stores and Similar Businesses: Updates on the proliferation of such businesses, the issue of phoenixing, and the need for a coordinated multi-agency approach.
• People Services: How the Leader remains sighted on People Services and workforce issues, given its new placement within the Cabinet Member for Value for Money and Finance portfolio.

The Committee was to receive a copy of the Leader's letter to the Minister for Energy and information on enforcement success measures and information relating to enforcement of candy stores and similar businesses.

Looking Ahead: Pimlico District Heating Undertaking Programme Task Group

The Committee considered and approved the scope for the Looking Ahead: Pimlico District Heating Undertaking Programme Task Group. This task group will examine the key principles of engagement, deliverability, and transparency in the future delivery of the Pimlico District Heating Undertaking Programme. Councillor Ed Pitt Ford was appointed as the Chair of this Task Group. The Committee was assured that the task group's work would run in parallel with the Cabinet Member's activities and would provide additional insight and challenge.

Corporate Strategy

The Committee discussed the proposed approach and emerging outcome areas for the development of Westminster's Corporate Strategy. Councillor Paul Swaddle OBE, Leader of the Council, and Sophie Shore, Director of Strategy and Intelligence, introduced the report. The Committee raised concerns and asked questions about:

• Participation: How officers, services, and the Executive Leadership Team would participate in strategy development, especially given financial challenges and the need for different priorities.
• Financial Context: The strategy's reflection of unprecedented financial challenges and its alignment with the Fit for the Future transformation programme and budget setting.
• Resident Engagement: How residents' views would be incorporated, including engaging harder-to-reach groups and the timing of budget engagement over the school holidays.
• Place-Based Delivery: The meaning of this term within the Fit for the Future programme.
• Emerging Outcome Areas: Suggestions for including the night-time economy, private renters, housing associations, wider social and economic inequalities, the cost of living, ecology, and biodiversity.
• Crime and Antisocial Behaviour: The distinction between antisocial behaviour and criminal matters.
• Strategy Measures: How residents would be able to judge the strategy's success through performance metrics.
• Statutory Responsibilities: How the strategy reflects statutory duties in housing, adult social care, and children's services.
• Managing Expectations: The concern that a high-level strategy might set unachievable ambitions and the need for a foreword to contextualise the Council's challenging operating environment.
• Budget Engagement: The importance of promoting the budget engagement exercise to ensure a good response rate.
• Deliverability and Usefulness: The need for the strategy to be practical and clearly linked to budget priorities and delivery arrangements.
• Future Review: The importance of reviewing the budget engagement exercise to learn lessons for future engagement.

The Committee recommended that the Leader of the Council consider including specific matters such as the night-time economy, private renters, housing associations, the cost of living, ecology, and biodiversity, and distinguishing between antisocial behaviour and criminal activity in the Corporate Strategy by October 2026. They also recommended that the Leader consider including a foreword detailing the Council's challenging operating environment by October 2026 to manage expectations. All Councillors would be briefed on the final approach to the budget engagement exercise and events.

Policy and Scrutiny Recommendation Process

The Committee endorsed the strengthened process for Policy and Scrutiny Committees making recommendations and encouraged its application. This new process aims to ensure recommendations are focused, evidence-based, proportionate, and capable of implementation and tracking. Key changes include discussing potential recommendations at the end of an item for a sense check with Cabinet Members and senior officers, circulating draft recommendations for refinement, and formally monitoring implementation and impact after the initial response. The Committee agreed to review the overall recommendation process annually.

Annual Report of Policy and Scrutiny Activity 2025/26

The Committee reviewed the Annual Report of Policy and Scrutiny Activity for the 2025/26 municipal year. It was clarified that the report listed Committee Members rather than substitute members. The Committee approved the Annual Report of Policy and Scrutiny Activity 2025/26 and resolved that it be forwarded to Full Council for information.