The Overview & Scrutiny Board of Havering Council was scheduled to consider a range of important topics, including the council's contracts register, the disaggregation of ICT services, and the potential use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The board was also scheduled to discuss its work programme for the upcoming year.

Contracts Register

The board was scheduled to receive a report providing an overview of the council's contracts register. This report was intended to detail the total number of contracts, their overall value, and the annual spend associated with them. It was also scheduled to provide a breakdown of contracts by strategic directorate, highlighting the top 10 contracts by value. Furthermore, the report was to outline contracts due to expire within the next 18 months, identifying the top 10 expiring contracts by value. The report was also scheduled to detail how contract management is conducted for the top three contracts by value.

Additionally, the report was scheduled to cover the procurement of social care services, explaining how these services may not always appear on the main contracts register due to procurement methods such as individual placements or Dynamic Purchasing Systems. An example of the Adult Commissioned Placements Framework was to be presented, detailing its three lots: Home Care Services, Supported Living Services, and Care Home Services. The report was to highlight the significant number of tender returns for these lots, indicating strong competition and the framework's aim to provide a more transparent supply chain with set contractual terms. The use of the Dynamic Purchasing System for children's placements, managed by the London Borough of Newham, was also to be discussed.

Disaggregation of ICT Services from OneSource

The Overview & Scrutiny Board was scheduled to examine the progress made since the disaggregation of ICT services from the OneSource organisation and their return to in-house control by the council. A presentation was to be provided, detailing the journey towards Havering's IT sovereignty. This included outlining the reasons for the change, such as technology fragility and diverging requirements between Havering and Newham councils. The report was to detail the complex transformation process, which involved splitting IT teams, migrating systems to the cloud, and modernising infrastructure, all while aiming to maintain service continuity. The presentation was expected to showcase the current Havering Sovereign Technology Estate, a cloud-first, zero-trust architecture, and highlight the simplification of access steps and security models compared to the previous shared environment. The report was also to detail how five separate teams were consolidated into one integrated department and confirm that the project was delivered on time and under budget, with essential services continuing to operate throughout the transition. Lessons learned from the oneSource IT split were also scheduled to be discussed, focusing on the importance of discovering issues earlier, assigning clear ownership, consistent communication, and designing for adoption.

Potential Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by the Council

The board was scheduled to consider the current and potential applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the council's services. A presentation was to be given, outlining different AI capability types, including automation, predictive AI, generative AI, and agentic AI. The report was to explain why AI matters to Havering, focusing on its potential to enhance financial resilience by reducing administrative burdens, improve resident experience through faster and more consistent responses, and strengthen the workforce by supporting professional judgement. Six practical areas for AI were under discussion, including resident access, casework and drafting, insight generation, staff and service quality, transactional services, and information requests. The report was to detail the progress of the AI front door for resident access, moving from a proof of concept to a controlled live service, and the use of Magic Notes to reduce administrative tasks in casework. The development of a modern AI-driven data platform, Fabric, for reporting and predictive insight was also to be discussed, alongside the use of Microsoft Copilot to support everyday productivity, inclusion, and service quality. The presentation was to outline a policy position for AI, emphasizing an organisation-wide approach, human accountability, evidence-based scaling, and inclusive design.

Overview and Scrutiny Board Work Programme 2026/27

The board was scheduled to discuss and agree its work programme for the 2026/27 municipal year. The report was to invite members to consider options for the work programme and the most appropriate methods for scrutiny, taking into account strategic relevance, public interest, and available capacity. The report was to explain the principles of effective work programming, including acting as a critical friend, holding the executive to account, and improving policy and performance. Various approaches to scrutiny were to be presented, such as pre-decision scrutiny, joint scrutiny, thematic scrutiny, and task and finish groups. The core work programming cycle, from identifying issues to reviewing impact, was to be outlined. The report was also to provide a list of existing meeting dates and initial suggestions for scrutiny topics, including the use of agency staff and pre-decision scrutiny of the Adults Commissioning Strategy. The remit of the Overview and Scrutiny Board, covering areas such as strategy, finance, and customer access, was to be reiterated.