The Test Valley Borough Council Overview and Scrutiny Committee met on Wednesday 27 August 2025, and agreed to establish a digital inclusion panel and approved the current Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme. The committee also considered the findings of the Affordable Housing Panel regarding service user experience, and agreed to endorse recommendations to the cabinet.

Affordable Housing Panel - Service User Experience Final Report

The committee considered the Affordable Housing Panel - Service User Experience Final Report, which presented findings and recommendations regarding the experiences of social housing tenants. The report was presented by Councillor Susanne Hasselmann, Lead Member of the Housing (User Experience). The panel had been appointed to ensure that the experiences, needs and insights of social housing tenants were central to the council's future housing strategy and priorities.

The panel's report made several recommendations, including:

• Recognising the successes of Test Valley Borough Council, including its partnership approach to supporting residents in accessing and sustaining a home, and using this as best practice for local government reorganisation.
• Improving housing register information and accessibility by reviewing literature and the online system to ensure clarity and user-friendliness.
• Enhancing property advertisement quality by providing accurate descriptions, more images, and relevant property details.
• Reviewing the allocations policy for transparency to ensure a realistic, fair, and transparent approach to rehousing prospects.
• Sharing best practice with Registered Providers (RPs) by engaging with them, sharing examples of best practice, and formally recognising areas of strong performance.
• Sustaining support for non-statutory services, such as the Homelessness Prevention Grant from MHCLG[^1], as essential in helping residents access and sustain accommodation and prevent homelessness. [^1]: MHCLG is the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, a former UK government department.
• Upholding the rough sleeping pledge to ensure that no local person experiences rough sleeping without first being offered accommodation.

The committee agreed to endorse recommendations 2-8 of the panel, and recommend them to the cabinet.

Digital Inclusion Panel Scope

The committee discussed establishing a digital inclusion panel to explore how the council can contribute to digital inclusion and reduce digital poverty. The report was presented by the Head of Strategy and Innovation. The aim of the panel is to explore opportunities for how the council can deliver on its commitments to digital inclusion set out in the digital strategy.

The proposed scope of the panel includes:

• Identifying factors impacting digital inclusion and contributing to digital poverty.
• Understanding the implications of moving to more digital services.
• Identifying national and local schemes and initiatives where the council can contribute.
• Exploring how the council can make a significant impact in its community leadership role.
• Establishing principles to ensure digital inclusion remains central to future delivery models as the council moves forward with local government reorganisation.

The committee approved the proposal to establish a digital inclusion panel and agreed to determine its membership. A roundtable on 13 August 2025 had been held, where councillors reviewed the drivers, opportunities and added value that they could bring by undertaking this review.

Programme of Work for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee

The committee reviewed and approved the Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme, which outlines the committee's activities for the year. Councillor Nik Daas, Chair of the Committee, presented the Work Programme and gave an update on current activity. The Head of Strategy and Innovation reported on upcoming roundtables, including a Project Management roundtable scheduled for 3 September 2025.

The Work Programme includes several themes:

• Young People
• Digital Transformation
• Health
• Communities
• Peer Review

Sharath Ranjan, District Commander for Test Valley, is scheduled to attend the committee meeting on 26 November 2025.

The committee approved the updated Work Programme and noted updates on the progress of current panels. Councillor Jan Budzynski was appointed to the Budget Panel.

Update on the progress of the Corporate Action Plan Year two

The committee received an update on the progress of the Corporate Action Plan Year two from Councillor North. The Corporate Plan includes the strategic context, delivery of the generation schemes and the implementation of waste reform.

Discussions included the impact of local government reorganisation, fair funding review, and the need to consider resource allocation. Updates were provided on regeneration projects, with ambitions to get the Western Avenue/Riverside Park Project and the new theatre underway.

The Romsey master plan was discussed, with progress in technical support and community engagement, including citizens assemblies. There were concerns about the timing of public consultation for the Romsey regeneration options paper, with discussions about involving Romsey Future members.

The council is implementing changes to waste collection systems, including the introduction of food waste collection with caddies being rolled out and staff recruitment underway. The council is also moving towards a twin stream cycling system however a new facility won't be operational until late 2027, requiring ongoing compliance efforts.

The council is creating and delivering a new rural strategy to increase the resilience of communities, building on a strong track record. Support is being provided to rural businesses through financial support and advanced schemes including a business support service. A rural delivery fund is being established to increase the resilience of rural communities and address their specific needs. The council is also supporting businesses in transitioning to low carbon with support for rural businesses and educational establishments.

The council is working through the climate emergency action plan, including switching from diesel to hydrotreated vegetable oil for Fleet vehicles to reduce carbon emissions and efforts are being made to encourage businesses and residents to reduce their carbon footprint through grants and funding opportunities.

The council is committed to ensuring no one should have to sleep rough in the borough without having been made an offer of emergency accommodation.

Partnerships are being leveraged to enhance community resilience, detrimental health action and community safety including working with the police and other agencies.