The Adults & Health Scrutiny Panel of Haringey Council met on Thursday 01 October 2026 to discuss the council's financial position, the approach to gambling harms, and an update on the Adult Social Care Improvement Plan. The meeting also reviewed the panel's work programme.

Q1 Finance Update

The panel was scheduled to scrutinise the council's financial position at the end of the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year. This report, originally presented to the Cabinet on 15th September 2026 and the Overview & Scrutiny Committee on 17th September 2026, detailed variances in the General Fund Revenue and Capital, Housing Revenue Account (HRA), and Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) budgets.

The report highlighted a challenging financial situation for the council, with a forecast £21.7m overspend on day-to-day services. A significant portion of this overspend was attributed to the non-delivery of agreed savings, a concern previously raised by the council's external auditors. The report also noted pressures within Children's Social Care and temporary accommodation, as well as an £8.4m overspend in the High Needs Block of the Dedicated Schools Grant due to increased demand and commissioned placement costs for special educational needs. The HRA was forecasting a £3.478m deficit, primarily due to a higher-than-budgeted level of void properties.

The report also detailed capital programme forecasts, indicating underspends against both the General Fund and HRA capital programmes. A Financial Resilience Plan was in place, with ongoing attention to financial sustainability, spend controls, and stringent processes for the capital programme and commissioning. The council was also subject to a Financial Resilience Review by CIPFA, commissioned by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Gambling Harms

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to discussing the council's public health approach to addressing gambling harms in Haringey. The report highlighted that the UK is one of the largest and most regulatorily permissive gambling markets globally, and that gambling harms are a major public health issue comparable to smoking and alcohol.

The presentation indicated that an estimated 7,642 Haringey residents were experiencing moderate to high levels of gambling harms, with the borough ranking fourth in London for the prevalence of such harms. A key concern raised was the exceptionally high density of gambling premises per capita in Haringey, with the borough ranking 12th nationally for the concentration of gambling premises relative to its population size. This density was noted to be particularly concentrated in areas of deprivation, with a clear clustering of gambling premises along key high streets such as Wood Green High Road and Harringay Green Lanes.

The report also discussed proposed changes to the Gambling Act 2005, specifically the abolition of the Aim to Permit principle, which would give local authorities greater influence over the location and concentration of gambling venues. This was seen as an opportunity to strengthen the council's approach to gambling harm prevention, address clustering, and promote healthier high streets.

The council's approach to gambling harms was outlined as a Health in all Policies strategy, embedding harm reduction across various council functions. Achievements highlighted included resident engagement through focus groups, youth awareness programmes delivered by Red Card, and the Haringey Gambling Harms Summit in 2023. The council was also a key member of the North London Tackling Gambling Harms Coalition, which had secured £250,000 over two years for early identification, community support, public awareness campaigns, and evidence development. Preliminary results from a World Cup anti-gambling campaign were presented, showing significant digital reach and engagement. Future plans included rolling out a validated screening tool, a schools programme, local research on attitudes to gambling, and investigating the appointment of a primary care clinical lead for gambling.

Adult Social Care Improvement Plan Update

The panel received an update on the implementation of the Adult Social Care Improvement Plan, developed following the Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessment in February 2025, which rated the service as Requires Improvement. The report detailed progress made against CQC's identified areas for improvement, including timeliness of assessments and reviews, access to services, support for unpaid carers, occupational therapy waiting times, financial assessment backlogs, advocacy and information provision, co-production, workforce stability, and access to performance data.

Significant progress was reported in reducing waiting lists for Care Act Assessments, Carers Assessments, and Financial Assessments. The redesign of the Adult Social Care Front Door was underway, aiming to provide a more consistent and responsive service. The council had also strengthened its approach to co-production, involving residents and carers in service design and governance through mechanisms like the Joint Partnership Board and the Carers Partnership Board.

Investment had been made in workforce capacity, including additional frontline staffing and professional development. Prevention and early intervention were being enhanced through the Independence and Early Intervention (IEI) Team and a redesigned Adult Social Care Information Directory. Integration with health partners, particularly Whittington Health, was being strengthened to improve admission avoidance and intermediate care. Direct Payments uptake had increased, and a new Carers Strategy had been co-produced.

While improvements were noted in Occupational Therapy, equipment, and adaptations, waiting times remained a significant challenge, with plans to increase workforce capacity and procure additional contracts. Safeguarding arrangements had been strengthened through improved leadership, governance, performance management, and multi-agency working. Co-production was increasingly embedded across service improvement, with a particular focus on partnership with Disability Action Haringey (DAH). Workforce stability had been enhanced through additional investment and development programmes, and performance management frameworks had been strengthened with real-time oversight and enhanced data analysis. Early indicators suggested improvements in resident satisfaction and quality of life, though some outcome measures required sustained focus.

Work Programme Update

The panel was presented with the draft work programme for 2026-2028. The upcoming meeting on 16th November 2026 was scheduled to include a scrutiny of the 2027/28 Budget and Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS). The panel was asked to note the current work programme and agree any amendments, considering items proposed by community stakeholders from a recent Scrutiny Café event. The report emphasised the importance of balancing breadth and depth in the work programme, reflecting local needs, community concerns, and strategic priorities.

The report also noted that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) is responsible for approving the overall work plan, with Scrutiny Panels developing their own detailed programmes. Recommendations from Scrutiny Panels are subject to OSC approval before being referred to Cabinet or Council. The report highlighted potential additional items for future consideration, including aids and adaptations, hospital discharge, NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC), sheltered housing, older people's care, mental health crisis services, public health vaccinations, and the public health alcohol strategy.