The Renewal, Recreation and Housing Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee met to review the final financial outturn for the 2025/26 financial year, examine the council's contracts register, and discuss the ongoing Housing, Planning and Regeneration Portfolio Plan. The meeting also included updates on matters outstanding from previous meetings and the forward work programme.

Matters Outstanding and Forward Work Programme

The committee was scheduled to review progress on actions arising from previous meetings. These included an update on the Assistant Director: Homelessness's commitment to provide a monthly clinic for non-urgent cases, and a follow-up on providing Members with an update on the Planning Portal, potentially as a Deep Dive ¹ session. Additionally, updated structure charts and contact lists for the Housing and Homelessness and Planning Services were expected to be shared. A one-page summary for future KPI reporting, highlighting key points and financial headlines, was also noted as being in progress. Finally, Pinnacle Group was to be asked to show performance over time for any Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)² rated 'Red' in future reporting concerning the Meadowship Homes 1 and 2 performance update. The committee was also invited to comment on and suggest changes to the proposed Forward Work Programme for the upcoming municipal year.

Housing, Planning and Regeneration Portfolio Plan Update 2025/26 Q4 Update

This report provided an update on the Renewal, Recreation and Housing (RRH) Portfolio Plan for the fourth quarter of the 2025/26 financial year. It included the RRH Portfolio Plan HPR Q4 Strategic Project Tracker, Operational KPIs for Q4 2025/26, the HPR Grant Register for Q4 2025-26, and the HPR Risk Register for Q4 2025-26. The report highlighted that the restructures of the Homelessness services had concluded, with a focus on earlier intervention and prevention. The Renters Rights Bill was due to come into force on 1 May 2026, with additional training commissioned for staff. The report also detailed progress in the Culture, Regeneration and Economic Development department, including the adoption of the borough's Sport & Leisure Strategy, the application for Gold status for the Armed Forces Covenant, and the continued delivery of regeneration schemes such as the completion of the Crystal Palace Park playground. The Planning and Building Control teams were noted as consistently performing above target, and the Strategic Property team had completed several key capital projects, including a new Health & Wellbeing Centre and Bromley's first Children's Home, Solace Rise.

Pre-Decision Scrutiny of Renewal, Recreation and Housing Portfolio Reports: Final Outturn 2025/26

The committee was scheduled to scrutinise the final outturn position for the Renewal, Recreation and Housing Portfolio for the 2025/26 financial year. The report indicated a projected net overspend of £3,716k on controllable expenditure. Major variations were noted across several service areas, including Building Control, Land Charges, Planning, Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), Culture & Regeneration, Housing Benefits, Allocations and Accommodation, Supporting People, Housing Schemes, Housing Options and Support, Housing Improvement, and Housing Strategy, Advice and Enabling. The report attributed the overspend in Allocations and Accommodation to an increase in the average net cost of temporary accommodation placements and a shift in the bedsize composition of households accommodated. The significant overspend in Community Infrastructure Levy was due to late payment of liabilities. The report also detailed carry-forward requests for the Renewal, Recreation and Housing Portfolio to the 2026/27 financial year.

Policy Development and Other Items: Renewal, Recreation and Housing Contracts Register Part 1 (Public) Report

This report presented an extract from the Contracts Register as of May 2026, detailing contracts with a whole life value of £50,000 or higher. The committee was asked to review and comment on this register. The report indicated that there were 77 active contracts within the Renewal, Recreation and Housing Portfolio, with 33 classified as 'Higher Risk'. Five contracts were flagged as 'Amber' in terms of their procurement status, meaning appropriate procurement action was in progress or should be commencing shortly. The report also listed numerous capital contracts, including those for housing developments such as Bromley North, West Wickham, and Manorfields, as well as projects related to Crystal Palace Park regeneration and library improvements.

Renewal, Recreation and Housing Information Briefing

This briefing was circulated for information only, but members could request a debate on specific aspects. The briefing included updates on the Digital Infrastructure Work Plan, the Provision of Library Service: Contract Performance Report, and the Armed Forces Covenant Progress Update.