The Culture, Community Safety and Environment Scrutiny Panel scheduled a meeting to discuss several key issues, including the quarterly budget monitoring report, an update on the Corporate Delivery Plan, and a scrutiny review of the Walking and Cycling Action Plan. The panel was also expected to provide comments on the Statement of Licensing Policy.

Here's a breakdown of the topics that were scheduled to be discussed:

Finance Update

The panel was scheduled to look at the council's financial position at Quarter 1 of the 2025/26 financial year. The report pack included the general fund, the Housing Revenue Account¹ (HRA), and Dedicated Schools Grant² (DSG) budgets. The report pack noted that the council's financial position remained extremely challenging despite setting a budget of £314.4 million in March 2025. Based on the latest information, the council was forecast to spend £348.5 million on day to day services. The report pack stated that over 80% of service spending supported the most vulnerable through adult services, children's services, education, and temporary accommodation.

The report pack stated that the £34.1 million forecast overspend on services could be partly mitigated by the remaining uncommitted corporate contingency of £6.09 million.

The report pack also noted that the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) forecast at Quarter 1 stood at a £3.0 million overspend, and the Housing Revenue Account was forecasting a £600,000 overspend.

The report pack included a recommendation that the scrutiny panel give consideration to the contents of the report relevant to the remit of the committee and make any recommendations to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Corporate Delivery Plan Update

The panel was scheduled to receive an update on the council's progress against the actions outlined in the Corporate Delivery Plan 2024-2026.

The report pack stated that good progress was being made across all themes, with 94% of outcomes having been rated as Green or Amber. It also highlighted areas where the council had not achieved the expected milestones or timescales.

The report pack included a recommendation that the Cabinet agree that there would be no further reporting against the Enterprise Hub and the Power Purchase Agreement for the Corporate Estate, as work had been paused or stopped in respect of these items.

Scrutiny Review of Walking and Cycling Action Plan

The panel was expected to consider the draft scope from the meeting in March 2025 and the proposed project plan for their review of the Walking and Cycling Action Plan (WACAP). The panel was also scheduled to consider the June 2025 progress update of the Walking and Cycling Action Plan and the Streets for People Investment Plan.

The stated aims of the project were:

• To identify residents' experiences of the principles of the WACAP.
• To support safety for cyclists and other parts of the road user's hierarchy.
• To ascertain whether recommendations can be made to the Cabinet and improvements made to the Walking and Cycling Action Plan.
• To explore how Haringey compares with other local authorities and what can be learnt from their experiences.
• To consider how all the above effects those with 'protected characteristics'.

Statement of Licensing Policy

The panel was scheduled to provide comments to the Cabinet Member on the draft Statement of Licensing Policy 2026-2031.

The report pack noted that the Licensing Act 2003 requires each licensing authority to prepare, consult, and publish a statement of licensing policy every five years. The policy statement is expected to set out how the authority intends to approach its licensing responsibilities.

The report pack stated that the draft policy introduces various policies and measures that promote the four licensing objectives: prevention of crime and disorder, prevention of public nuisance, public safety, and protection of children from harm.

The report pack also noted that the draft policy had been updated to apply changes to the Section 182 guidance, including the updates of pavement licences, a guidance on immigration status documentation, and raising awareness for being prepared for Martyn's Law³.

Work Programme Update

The panel was scheduled to consider the draft work programme for 2025/26. The report pack provided details of the draft work programme for 2025/26 for consideration by the committee.