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 risk register and contracts. The meeting's agenda included updates on various service areas, financial outturns, and policy documents.

Matters Arising and Work Programme

The committee was scheduled to review progress on actions from previous meetings and discuss the forward work programme for the upcoming year. This includes monitoring ongoing actions and planning future scrutiny activities. The report indicated that actions regarding night-time speed checks and the number of fatal road accidents had been completed.

Portfolio Holder Update

Councillor Angela Page, the Portfolio Holder for Public Protection and Enforcement, was expected to provide an update on the activities and developments within her portfolio since the last committee meeting.

Public Protection Performance Overview 2025/26

This item focused on reviewing the performance of the Public Protection and Enforcement Portfolio against its key performance indicators (KPIs) for the 2025/26 financial year. The report highlighted that most KPIs were rated as green, indicating performance was on track. However, one KPI, To disseminate 25 Alerts on emerging topics including doorstep crime and scams, was rated red. This was attributed to the need to reallocate resources to higher-priority enforcement work.

Pre-Decision Scrutiny of Decisions for the Public Protection and Enforcement Portfolio Holder

Public Protection and Enforcement Portfolio Plan 2026/27

The committee was set to scrutinise the draft Public Protection and Enforcement Portfolio Plan for 2026/27. This plan outlines the strategic framework for how the council's public protection, neighbourhood enforcement, and planning enforcement functions will contribute to the council's wider corporate ambitions, focusing on areas such as protecting residents from harm, keeping Bromley safe and resilient, maintaining a safe and clean environment, supporting responsible businesses, and delivering efficient, intelligence-led services.

Final Outturn Report 2025/26

This report presented the revenue budget monitoring position for the Public Protection and Enforcement Services Portfolio for the 2025/26 financial year, based on expenditure and activity levels for the fourth quarter. The report indicated an overall underspend of £332,000 for the financial year, with specific underspends noted in Safer Communities (due to a delay in CCTV system upgrade), Environmental Health and Licensing (due to overachievement of HMO income), Mortuary and Coroners Service, and Public Protection Strategic services. Carry-forward requests for unspent grant income and delayed expenditure were also detailed.

Update Items

Annual Food Safety Plan 2026/27

The committee was to review Bromley's Food Safety Service Plan for 2026–2027. This plan sets out the strategic and operational framework for delivering food law enforcement, aligning with the Food Standards Agency's (FSA) Food Law Code of Practice. It details the number of registered food businesses, the inspection programme, and performance summaries from the previous year. The plan also addresses service demand, resource allocation, and strategic links to broader council objectives.

Risk Register

This item involved the review of the revised Public Protection and Enforcement Risk Register. The register details identified risks, their potential causes and effects, and the existing controls in place to mitigate them. A key risk highlighted was the Increased Costs for Coroners Service, which was rated as red due to increased service demand, inflationary pressures, and potential relocation costs for the Coroner's Court.

Contracts Register

The committee was presented with an extract from the Contracts Register as of May 2026, detailing contracts with a whole-life value of £50,000 or higher. This report provides an overview of active contracts, their risk index, and procurement status. For the Public Protection and Enforcement Portfolio, there were 10 contracts listed, with two flagged as higher risk: Domestic Abuse Services For Victim Survivors and CCTV Monitoring. The report also included a summary of all contracts across all portfolios.