The Policy and Performance Scrutiny Committee made a number of decisions at its meeting, including approving the draft recommendations of the Complex ASB scrutiny review, noting the Quarter 3 budget monitoring report and approving the new committee structure for scrutiny in Islington.

Quarter 3 Budget Monitoring

The committee discussed the Quarter 3 budget monitoring report. Councillors were informed that the overspend in the Children's Services budget had reduced by £800,000 due to lower than expected placement costs. However, the Environment and Regeneration budget continued to be affected by lower than anticipated income from parking, with a shortfall of £1 million now expected. This was partly attributed to delays in the rollout of fibre optic broadband in the borough. Some Councillors raised concerns about this, asking:

what actions were being taken by the Environment Department to address the underachievement in parking income.

and

citing the delay to the roll-out of fibre optic broadband, suggesting that this could have been anticipated.

Officers responded that they were working with the Environment and Regeneration department to make parking income forecasts more robust in future, but that parking income was inherently volatile and difficult to predict. They also explained that the rollout of fibre optic broadband was being monitored closely, and the anticipated income from parking suspensions had been adjusted a number of times as the project had evolved.

Councillors also discussed the financial pressures relating to the increasing demand for temporary accommodation in the borough, and whether the council could be doing more to increase its stock of temporary accommodation, for example by lobbying the Mayor of London for more funding to buy back ex-council homes. They praised the work done by council officers to reduce the amount spent on bed and breakfast accommodation by increasing the amount of council-owned temporary accommodation.

Complex ASB Scrutiny Review

The committee considered the draft recommendations of the Complex Anti-Social Behaviour scrutiny review.

The committee agreed to amend recommendations 8 and 9 to include a request for resources to support their delivery. The amended recommendations read:

1. The council should develop a process and provide necessary resources for holding local ward level/early intervention, multi-agency ASB boards to review and respond to ASB issues before they escalate and reach the threshold for MARAC
2. The council should develop and provide necessary resources for an early intervention pathway for cuckooing¹ cases.

Scrutiny in Islington - Review Outcomes

The committee discussed the outcomes of the review of scrutiny in Islington.

Councillors agreed to a new committee structure, which included the creation of a new Homes and Communities Scrutiny Committee. The existing Policy and Performance Scrutiny Committee will be replaced by a new Corporate Resources and Economy Scrutiny Committee. The new structure will take effect from the Annual Council meeting on 16 May 2024. They also noted a communications plan that is being developed for scrutiny in Islington.

Councillors also approved a change from a Councillor Call for Action Protocol to a Councillor Right to Refer. The Councillor Call for Action Protocol is a council procedure that enables councillors to raise concerns about the way in which council services are being delivered. The Councillor Right to Refer is a statutory right that enables councillors to refer matters to scrutiny for further investigation. The change is being made in accordance with the Localism Act 2011².