The Finance, Policy and Resources Committee is scheduled to convene on Monday 22 June 2026, with a key focus on the future of Richmond Town Centre and the ongoing support for residents facing the cost of living crisis. The committee's agenda also includes a review of the council's financial performance for the past year and its corporate plan achievements.

Richmond Town Centre: Activating Our Vision

A significant portion of the meeting is dedicated to the Richmond Town Centre: Activating Our Vision report¹. This report outlines proposals for the next phase of projects and investment aimed at revitalising Richmond Town Centre. The vision seeks to create more inclusive and welcoming public spaces, improve access and connectivity, diversify the use of high street and riverside areas, better serve younger people, attract broader audiences, and strengthen Richmond's identity.

Key projects proposed for further development and investment include:

• Whittaker Square & Avenue public realm improvements: This aims to transform the underused area into a flexible civic and event space, with proposals for permanent electricity and water supply to facilitate small-scale events. The Council intends to explore partnership arrangements with Be Richmond BID² for the future management of Whittaker Square.
• George Street transformation: The report details plans to transform George Street into a pedestrian-friendly leisure and retail destination. This will involve initial traffic modelling and options analysis to explore greater pedestrianisation, with any future implementation subject to detailed consultation and further funding requests.
• Little Green play space: This project proposes the creation of new, high-quality play space to address the underprovision of free, accessible play facilities within the town centre, making it more family-friendly and encouraging longer visits.
• Wayfinding for the town centre: This initiative will deliver a comprehensive wayfinding strategy across the town centre and riverside, including new and enhanced signage, totems, and information boards, to improve navigation for residents and visitors.

The report also notes that while an initial £1.5 million investment has been allocated, the ambitious vision for Richmond Town Centre will require future funding commitments.

Cost of Living Support Update and Proposals for the Crisis and Resilience Fund

The committee will receive an update on the council's support for residents struggling with the ongoing impact of the high cost of living. This includes noting the final spend from the Household Support Fund³ and considering proposals for the first year of the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF)⁴. The CRF, which replaces the Household Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments, represents a shift towards preventative and resilience-based support for low-income households.

Proposed allocations for the CRF in 2026/27 include funding for a Crisis Payment Scheme, a Housing Payment Scheme, and various Resilience Services delivered by both council teams and voluntary and community sector partners. These resilience services aim to build longer-term financial stability through initiatives such as financial inclusion, debt advice, energy efficiency interventions, and employment support. The report also highlights the intention to develop a borough anti-poverty strategy.

Additionally, the committee will be asked to approve a consultation to build flexibility into the current Council Tax Reduction (CTR)⁵ scheme by delegating responsibility to Full Council to make changes to income band levels.

Richmond Corporate Plan 2025/26 End-year Performance Report

A review of the council's performance against its corporate priorities for 2025/26 will be presented. The report provides an update on Richmond Corporate Plan (RCP) actions and performance against key performance indicators (KPIs). Members will note the progress made and consider if any areas of underperformance warrant further investigation by the Policy and Performance Review Board. The report highlights areas of improving performance, such as the lowest crime rate in London and increased positive outcomes for domestic abuse and sexual violence cases, alongside areas of underperformance, including customer satisfaction with service resolution and the number of resettled refugee families.

Capital and Revenue Outturn 2025/26

The committee will be informed of the council's outturn figures for revenue and capital budget management for the 2025/26 financial year. The report indicates an overall revenue outturn position of a £2.661m net overspend, largely attributed to increased demand in homelessness services and children looked after placements. The capital programme saw a spend of £66.899m in 2025/26. The report also details the resulting position on reserves, including movements in the Financial Resilience Reserve and the Emergency Funding Reserve.

Additional Budget Requests

The committee will consider and approve funding for additional budget requests for 2026/27, to be funded from the central contingency budget or other specified sources. These include requests for highway maintenance programmes and carry-forward budgets from the 2025/26 revenue and capital outturn.

Committee Work Programme

Finally, the committee will review its work programme, noting upcoming matters for consideration in future meetings, including updates on the Transformation Programme, Accommodation BID proposals, the Capital Programme Review, the Medium Term Financial Strategy, and the Treasury Management Annual Report.