The Public Protection and Enforcement Policy Development & Scrutiny Committee met to review the performance of the council's public protection services, discuss future plans, and examine the council's contractual arrangements. Key discussions were scheduled to focus on the 2025/26 performance overview, the draft portfolio plan for 2026/27, and the annual food safety plan.

Matters Arising and Work Programme

The committee was scheduled to review progress on outstanding actions from previous meetings and consider the forward work programme for the upcoming year. This includes reviewing the status of actions related to night-time speed checks and the number of fatal road accidents, both of which were reported as completed in the previous meeting's minutes. The work programme for 2026/27 was also to be discussed, outlining planned reports and activities for the committee.

Holding the Portfolio Holder to Account

Councillor Angela Page, Portfolio Holder for Public Protection & Enforcement, was scheduled to provide an update on her portfolio's activities. This was to be followed by a review of the Public Protection Performance Overview for 2025/26. This report detailed the performance against key indicators in the Public Protection & Enforcement Portfolio Plan, noting that all but one indicator were rated as green. The indicator 'To disseminate 25 Alerts on emerging topics including doorstep crime and scams' was rated red due to resource reallocation to higher priority enforcement work.

The committee was also set to conduct pre-decision scrutiny of decisions for the Portfolio Holder. This included a review of the Public Protection and Enforcement Portfolio Plan for 2026/27, which outlines the strategic framework for the council's public protection, neighbourhood enforcement, and planning enforcement functions. Additionally, the Final Outturn Report for 2025/26 was to be presented, detailing the revenue budget monitoring position for the Public Protection & Enforcement Services Portfolio, which indicated an underspend of £332k.

Update Items

Several update items were scheduled for discussion. The Annual Food Safety Plan 2026/27 was to be presented, outlining the strategic and operational framework for delivering food law enforcement in Bromley, in line with the Food Standards Agency's requirements. The plan noted an increase in registered food businesses and a reduction in overdue inspections. The Risk Register for Public Protection and Enforcement was also to be reviewed, detailing identified risks and mitigation measures. A key risk highlighted was the increased costs for the Coroners Service, which has a current risk rating of 20 (red). Finally, the Contracts Register was to be presented, providing an overview of contracts with a whole life value of £50k or higher, with a focus on the Public Protection and Enforcement Portfolio. This included contracts for Domestic Abuse Services, CCTV Monitoring, and the Mortuary Service.