The Overview & Scrutiny Committee met to discuss strategic performance monitoring, the strategic vision for 2035, the annual complaints report, and flood risk management. Councillors reviewed the council's performance against its strategic objectives, provided feedback on the draft strategic vision, scrutinised the handling of complaints, and assessed the progress of flood risk management initiatives. The committee also agreed to extend the deadline for pre-decision scrutiny questions on unrestricted cabinet papers.

Strategic Delivery Performance

The committee reviewed the strategic delivery performance for the first quarter of the year, noting that 36 out of 60 measures were on track. Councillor Saeed Ahmed reported that three previously red measures had improved to green: KPI 06, KPI 21 and KPI 26.

Areas of concern highlighted in the report included:

• KPI 03: Percentage of homelessness cases prevented or relieved.
• KPI 10: Overcrowded households.
• KPI 11: Number of privately rented properties visited.
• KPI 25: Rate of first-time entrants to the youth justice system.
• KPI 46: Level of household recycling.
• KPI 55: Percentage of tenants satisfied that their home is safe.

John Lloyd added that the council is looking to embed benchmarking metrics in the report, such as statistical neighbours or the London average, to provide context.

Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)

Councillors discussed the progress made on Education, Health and Care Plans, with Councillor Amy Lee giving Steve Reddy the opportunity to talk about the improvements. Mr Reddy noted the significant focus and additional resources put into this area, which had led to improvements in both the speed and quality of EHCPs. He noted that a recent SEND inspection recognised the improvement, but also acknowledged that there was still work to do. The most recent data indicated that around 70% of EHCPs were completed within the statutory 20-week timeframe.

Youth Justice

Councillor Abdi Mohamed asked about the value added by having a director of Young Tower Hamlets involved in youth justice, and whether early intervention was proving fruitful. Mr Reddy responded that there had been a positive trend in reducing first-time entrants to the youth justice system, with a 41% reduction over the past two years. However, there had been an increase in the last quarter of the year, with 40 children involved. He noted the Outcome 22 approach, working with the police and other partners, to try and avert children getting involved in the criminal justice process as early as possible. He also highlighted the significant investment in the youth service and the engagement of community safety colleagues.

Free School Meals

Councillor Asma Islam raised questions about the accuracy of data collection for free school meals¹ in primary and secondary schools. She also suggested a KPI around young people's satisfaction with free school meals, referencing work done by Councillor Abdul Mannan. Mr Reddy responded that he had attended a head teacher's briefing where consultants presented information showing which schools were effectively delivering meals. He also noted that the recommendations from the scrutiny work would be coming to Cabinet and implemented in due course.

Homelessness

Councillor Ahmodur Khan raised concerns about the increase in homelessness locally and nationally. Karen Swift responded that the success of preventing and relieving homelessness depended on the flow of accommodation and encouraging host families to keep families who present as homeless. She noted the impact of the cost of living grant and additional resources in the procurement team.

Renters' Rights Bill

Councillor Asma Islam asked about the acquisition of properties in light of the renters' rights bill. Ms Swift responded that the bill had not yet received royal assent, but is expected to soon. She noted that the bill is the biggest reform in 40 years and includes measures such as outlawing private bidding wars for rents and rent stabilisation. She also noted that the local authority would get more powers to prosecute landlords, with potential penalties of up to £40,000. She said that the government is expected to announce new burdens money to support enforcement of the legislation.

Downsizing Incentives

Councillor Islam also asked about incentives for council tenants to downsize, as the KPIs had slightly dipped from the last quarter. Ms Swift responded that there were 272 council tenants who had expressed an interest in downsizing. She said that the council was reviewing all of the incentives for downsizing and would be meeting with some of the 272 tenants in a focus group to understand their motives.

Tenant Satisfaction

Councillor Islam also asked about KPI 055, tenant satisfaction in how safe they feel, which had dipped. Ms Swift responded that these are perception surveys conducted quarterly, with an external company interviewing about 1,000 residents each time. She said that the council would be contacting the people who responded negatively to understand the reasons for their dissatisfaction.

Affordable Homes Delivery

Councillor James King noted that the amount of council and affordable houses delivered in the borough had decreased. Ms Swift responded that there were three pages of narrative on the number of affordable homes delivered, including information about the acquisition programme. She noted that the council had received 655 inquiries and bought back 47 properties to date, all three-bed or larger properties.

Landlord Actions

Councillor Abdi Mohamed asked if the council was anticipating what some landlords might be doing in response to the new legislation, such as offering rolling contracts rather than fixed-term contracts. Ms Swift responded that the legislation is allowed open contracts, and that a landlord can only end a contract through one of the permitted grounds for possession. She said that the council would be conducting a big comms piece to ensure residents are aware of their rights and that landlords are aware of the legislation.

Strategic Vision 2035

The committee received a presentation on the draft strategic vision for 2035. Jonathan Lloyd explained that the vision was co-produced with residents and partners, and that the intent is to develop a long-term vision that will shape decision-making and strengthen partnership working. He highlighted the focus on inequality, the extended engagement exercise, the emphasis on climate, and the development of metrics to understand the impact of the vision.

Councillor Abdul Wahid asked how working with kindness, creativity, and determination would change the inequalities of opportunity, and how the council would deliver a good life for each and every resident. Mr Lloyd responded that the vision is a statement of aspirations and ambitions, and that the delivery plan would contain the answers. He said that the council would be developing a bundle of metrics to sit under each ambition, and that this data would be put at the forefront of decision-making.

Councillor Asma Islam said that the baseline statistics were wrong and that the time frame was not sufficient. She said that the statistics should be broken up to be more useful, and that the engagement should be wider. She also asked where she could see the changes that had been incorporated based on previous feedback.

Councillor Amy Lee asked about the commitment to neighbourhood working and how this would be different from the council's current approach. Mr Lloyd responded that neighbourhood working was a significant opportunity to demonstrate some of the ambitions and ways of working embedded within the vision.

Councillor Nathalie Bienfait asked if following 20 people over the next 10 years would be sufficient to get a meaningful picture of the borough's evolving challenges and opportunities. Mr Lloyd responded that it was just one tool alongside much more important and deeper engagement mechanisms.

Councillor Abdi Mohamed asked if five ambitions were too many, and how the vision compared to other boroughs. He also asked where the voice of business was in the vision. Mr Lloyd responded that some of the larger business anchor institutions had been key parts of the process, and that he would work to strengthen the inclusion of small and medium enterprises.

Councillor Bienfait suggested that the language around chance in the ambition that every child and adult has the chance to build a good life sounded like it was talking about probability rather than giving people the building blocks to build a good life.

Councillor Ahmodur Khan asked how the council was going to eradicate hatred and racism, and how it would create a good life for adults who are not happy living in their homes. Mr Lloyd responded that the vision was setting the framework for other strategies and delivery plans to respond to, and that the council wanted to understand the different experiences of different groups of people around those ambitions.

Annual Complaints Report

The committee received the annual complaints report for the financial year 2024-25. Councillor Gulam Kibria Choudhury introduced the report, highlighting the importance of scrutiny and oversight in the complaint code to promote continuous learning and improvement. Leah Sites noted that the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) is making changes to its complaints code, and that the council is presenting the report early in anticipation of those changes.

Key points from the report included:

• The council received almost 6,000 complaints, with 5,162 at Stage 1 and 591 at Stage 2.
• Approximately 4% of Stage 1 complaints escalated to the LGSCO.
• The council had a 100% compliance rate with LGSCO recommendations.

Councillor Amy Lee asked what happens when a complaint is upheld but nothing changes, and how the council passes those messages along to core departments. Usman Zia responded that the council is working on service plans to have more featured and structured training specific to those departments.

Councillor Nathalie Bienfait asked about response times to stage two complaints and what the consequences are for teams that continually do not comply with the response time. Ms Sites responded that the council had done lots of work on stage two response times and that they were now above the 90% target. She said that the council works closely with corporate directors and directors to make incremental continuous improvements.

Councillor Halima Islam asked what might be contributing to the year-on-year increase in stage two complaints despite a reduction in stage one complaints. Mr Zia responded that it could indicate that issues are not being fully resolved at stage one, or that the quality of responses at that stage may need to be reviewed.

Councillor Asma Islam asked when the publication on the housing ombudsman would be brought back to scrutiny for discussion.

Councillor Jahid Ahmed asked what part external suppliers or internal processes within the council have on stage one or stage two complaints.

Councillor Abdi Mohamed asked how the council can reassure members that there is confidence in the system, as they get casework from residents who say they have not had a response to their complaint. He also asked how much the number of complaints is used as a feedback loop to service improvement.

Flood Risk Management

The committee received an update on the progress of flood risk management initiatives. Vincent Valera explained that the team already provides a very good service, and that the recommendations from the scrutiny review would enhance the existing flood risk plans.

Key achievements included:

• Draft stage for updated Local Risk Flood Management Strategy (LFRMS).
• Updated SuDS guidance document completed (under review).
• Asset register has been updated.
• Final stages of SuDS opportunity mapping.
• Flood Engineer appointed (July 2025).
• Enhanced partnership working.
• Over 200 cycle-friendly gully covers installed.

Councillor Nathalie Bienfait asked about funding for gully sensors in high-risk areas and the approach to risk management. Ashraf Ali responded that the council was going through the internal governance process for capital funding and exploring external funding opportunities. Mr Valera added that the council was keen to ensure that officers know what they're doing in the event of a flooding incident.

Councillor Ahmodur Khan asked who monitors the CCTV system and how the system interacts with other mechanisms. Mr Valera responded that the system has been reviewed to ensure that there is contact from highways officers with the CCTV officers, and that there are clear process maps in place.

Councillor Abdi Mohamed asked how the council was building confidence with local residents, especially in Fish Island. Mr Valera responded that he would take that back to the team to ensure that they can build that resilience.

Scrutiny Leads Updates

The committee received updates from the scrutiny lead members on their areas. Councillor Nathalie Bienfait is finalising plans for her scrutiny review into reducing road deaths. Councillor Abdi Mohamed's review session on tackling re-offending rates will be on 1 December.

Pre-Decision Scrutiny of Unrestricted Cabinet Papers

The committee agreed to extend the deadline for pre-decision scrutiny questions on unrestricted cabinet papers to 12pm the following day.