The Overview & Scrutiny Committee of Enfield Council met on Monday 8 September 2025 to discuss the council's scrutiny work programmes for the coming year, and to receive updates on the performance and financial sustainability of two council-owned companies. The committee was also scheduled to review the minutes of their previous meeting. Councillor Nicki Adeleke, Chair of the OSC, was scheduled to chair the meeting.

Scrutiny Annual Work Programmes 2025/26

The committee was scheduled to consider and approve the draft work programmes for the Overview & Scrutiny Committee and its four scrutiny panels for 2025/26, before referring them to the council for formal approval.

The four scrutiny panels are:

• Culture and Environment
• Healthy and Safe Communities
• Thriving Children and Young People
• Housing and Regeneration

The report pack included the draft work programme for each of the scrutiny panels, detailing the topics they plan to address, the lead officers and members involved, and the scope of each review.

Points raised in the report pack included:

• The suggestion that detailed reports are provided for all work programme items, rather than PowerPoint presentations, to give members enough detail about each item. The Scrutiny report template should be used, which asks for key issues, challenges, successes, comparative data, and costs of the service.
• That the Local Plan is currently being considered by both OSC and the Housing & Regeneration Scrutiny Panel, and that a joint meeting of the two panels could be arranged.

Culture & Environment Draft Work Programme 2025/26

The Culture & Environment panel was scheduled to discuss the following topics:

• 2025 Heritage Strategy
• Dugdale Arts Centre
• Forty Hall
• Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs), Quieter Neighbourhoods and School Streets
• Leisure Centres
• Waste & Recycling Management
• Maintenance of Parks

Healthy & Safe Communities Scrutiny Panel Draft Work Programme 2025/26

The Healthy & Safe Communities panel was scheduled to discuss the following topics:

• Safer Schools and Communities Board (SSCB) Performance Management monitoring update
• Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report 2024/25
• Adult Social Care – update following CQC Inspection in December 2024
• Recommissioning of 5 Voluntary Sector Organisations to provide earlier support to Enfield residents
• Community Cohesion Work
• Merge of Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) across North Central London (NCL)
• Substance Misuse Service
• Violence Against Women & Girls Strategy 2025-30
• Enfield Serious Violence Strategy
• Children's Oral Health
• New provider of vaccinations for school age children
• Mental Health Services Transformation
• Joint Health & Wellbeing Strategy - Update
• North Middlesex University Hospital Maternity Service Update following the CQC Inspection rating as 'inadequate'

Housing & Regeneration Scrutiny Panel Draft Work Programme 2025/26

The Housing & Regeneration panel was scheduled to discuss the following topics:

• Social Housing Regulation Inspection Update
• Decommissioning of Shires Estates
• Big Door Knock
• Temporary Accommodation and Homelessness
• Housing Delivery Programme
• Training and Development of Neighbourhood Services
• Local Plan Update
• Planning Tech Team, digital ways of working and impacts on customers
• Joyce & Snells Update
• Update on Licencing Schemes
• Reardon Court Update

Thriving Children & Young People Scrutiny Panel Draft Work Programme 2025/26

The Thriving Children & Young People panel was scheduled to discuss the following topics:

• Safeguarding Children's Partnership Annual Report 2024/25
• Annual Children's Statutory Complaints Report 2024/25
• Schools in Deficit
• School standards (to include information on attendance & exclusion)
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Family Hubs and Start for Life Services
• Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) – demand on provision and performance
• Youth Justice Service
• Children's Services Reform
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) update
• Falling School Rolls
• Children In Care
• North Central London Child Death Overview Panel Annual Report 2024/25

Council Owned Trading Companies - Housing Gateway Ltd & Energetik

The committee was scheduled to receive a report on the council's owned companies, Housing Gateway Ltd (HGL) and Energetik. The report was intended to provide an update on:

• How much money has been invested
• A review of the Business Plan & Operating Model
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Value for money for the taxpayer

The report pack highlighted key risks for the attention of the committee.

Energetik

Energetik is a company established to deliver low-carbon heat through a district heating network, leveraging waste heat from the Edmonton EcoPark.

The key risks associated with Energetik were listed as:

• Investment Risk: The company is seeking additional funding to expand its heat network. This is required for its financial feasibility and affordability of future expansion.
• Subsidy Control Compliance: There are potential implications under UK subsidy control rules[^2], which could affect the legality and structure of Council or other public investment.
• Revenue Uncertainty: Challenges in securing long-term customer contracts and achieving economies of scale.

• Technology Risk: Obsolescence or performance issues.

  [^2]: Subsidy control rules are designed to ensure that government subsidies do not distort competition in the market.

As of 31 March 2025, the council had lent £51.7 million to Energetik. Energetik and Enfield have secured £18.6 million in grant from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to connect 8 schools.

Housing Gateway Ltd

HGL continues to deliver housing solutions that the council cannot provide and deliver savings. HGL has built up a property portfolio of 1,821 homes, providing a solution to help the council limit the use of temporary accommodation. HGL has assets of £179 million, against loans of £143 million.

The key risks associated with HGL were listed as:

• Availability of debt funding: HGL relies on loans provided by the council to fund property acquisitions.
• Volatile private rented market: An increasing share of HGL's business is in direct competition with the private rented market.
• Property Quality: Increased legislation and regulation in the sector has had the impact of increased costs on HGL and landlords in the private rented sector (PRS).
• Bad Debt Exposure: The business is prioritising the management of income collection to mitigate against losses being realised due to bad debt.

In 2024/25, the nomination fee was £7.8 million and overall, this delivered savings to the council in temporary accommodation costs.

Minutes of Previous Meeting

The committee was asked to agree the minutes of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee Call-In meeting held on 20 May 2025.

The minutes relate to a meeting where the committee considered a call-in regarding decision KD5820, which concerned recommendations to surrender and re-grant the Palace Gardens headlease.

The decision had been called in for review by seven councillors. Councillor Michael Rye OBE, Call-In Lead Member, summarised the reasons for the call-in, and asked that the decision be referred back to the decision taker for reconsideration.

Councillor Tim Leaver, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Finance & Procurement, and officers responded that Enfield Town is dominated by two shopping precincts, Place Gardens and Palace Exchange, and that Enfield Council owns the freehold of both.

The minutes state that:

A new lease will enable regeneration of the shopping centre, but no firm proposals have been submitted by DWS. However, the flexibility this affords does mean that the shopping centre can continue as the vibrant heart of Enfield Town. Further, it has been brought to the Council's attention that significant investment is needed into the main structure and consequently an ongoing maintenance programme implemented.

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee agreed to confirm the original decision made by the Cabinet Member.