The Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Southwark Council met on Monday 05 October 2026 to discuss the Lower Road Project and the council's work programme for 2026-27. The committee received an update on the Lower Road Project, which included details on its development, consultation process, and safety considerations. The committee also discussed the proposed work programmes for the committee and its scrutiny commissions for the upcoming municipal year.

Lower Road Project

The committee received a report detailing the Lower Road Project, a significant transport initiative aimed at improving sustainable travel and road safety on the Rotherhithe peninsula. The project's development involved extensive consultation, with approximately 77% of respondents to a non-statutory engagement exercise in late 2025 expressing overall support for making the scheme permanent, although responses within Rotherhithe itself were more divided. The scheme's primary objective of completing the final section of Cycleway 4 (CS4) between London Bridge and Greenwich was achieved, leading to an 81% increase in cycling trips between 2018 and 2025. Road safety has also seen improvements, with a reduction in collision severity compared to the pre-scheme period, despite an increase in cyclist numbers.

However, congestion and bus journey times remain a challenge. While traffic volumes on Lower Road have decreased by 8% compared to pre-scheme levels, five out of eight bus routes serving the corridor have experienced reduced speeds. Officers acknowledged these localised traffic impacts and are committed to further improvements. Phase 2 of the Lower Road programme is being developed to address bus reliability and network performance, with two options under consideration: retaining the existing gyratory arrangement or removing it to create a bus-only section on Lower Road between Redriff Road and Hawkstone Road. Funding for Phase 2 has not yet been identified.

The council is also introducing a Lane Rental Scheme by spring 2027, which will charge £2,500 per day for works on Lower Road during peak periods, incentivising utility companies and highway authorities to minimise disruption.

Work Programme 2026-27

The committee discussed the proposed work programmes for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and its four scrutiny commissions for the 2026-27 municipal year. The process for inviting, assessing, and shortlisting potential scrutiny topics was outlined, with suggestions gathered from councillors, the public, senior officers, and executive members. The proposed programmes aim to balance councillor and public suggestions with the council's strategic priorities and available capacity, while retaining flexibility for urgent issues.

The committee noted that the Borough Action Plan is still in development, and the work programmes will be reviewed as further details become available. A provisional pipeline of topics for 2027-28 was also identified to support forward planning. The remits of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and its commissions were agreed, based on executive member portfolio responsibilities.

Key topics suggested for scrutiny include the council plan, community councils, fair funding review, medium-term financial strategy, temporary accommodation, adult social care, SEND, housing revenue account, estate regeneration, resident voice, and waste contracts. The committee also discussed renaming the Health and Community Safety Scrutiny Commission to the Health, Adult Social Care and Community Safety Scrutiny Commission to better reflect its remit.

The committee also discussed the interpretation of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 2.2 regarding the appointment of scrutiny commission chairs. Following a motion to maintain the previous interpretation that chairs should be members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee being lost, Councillor Hellen Benavides was appointed Chair and Councillor Pascale Mitchell was appointed Vice-Chair of the Housing Scrutiny Commission.