The Residents' Services Select Committee met on Wednesday 18 February 2026 to discuss the draft Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, the West London Waste Plan, and the Council's budget and spend. The Committee also reviewed the Forward Plan and the Work Programme.

Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy Consultation Draft

The Committee reviewed the draft Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy for 2026-2030, which outlines a vision for a borough where homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring. The strategy is built around five priorities: early and sustained prevention of homelessness; resident-focused homelessness services; support for access to safe, suitable, and sustainable accommodation; targeted housing pathways for single homeless individuals, rough sleepers, and other groups; and modern, data-led, cost-effective services. The strategy acknowledges the significant pressures faced by Hillingdon due to national homelessness challenges, housing market dynamics, and an increase in asylum seekers and other new arrivals. The Committee was asked to comment on the draft strategy before its finalisation for Cabinet approval.

Commercial Waste and General Waste Services

Jordan Groves, Head of Waste and Green Spaces, provided an overview of the Council's commercial waste service performance and an update on borough-wide waste and recycling services for the 2025/26 financial year. The commercial waste service has secured new contracts generating £198,301.90 in income, despite a net loss of £138,913.84 from contract cessations, primarily due to price sensitivity and non-payment. The service is working with Corporate Recovery to address unpaid debts and is reviewing trade waste agreements for compliance.

The general waste service remains largely unchanged, with garden waste now a paid-for service. The garden waste subscription has 23,240 subscribers, generating £1.62m in income. Challenges were noted with the Christmas tree collection service due to system limitations for reporting misses. The waste collection teams experienced pressure during the Christmas period due to bank holidays impacting schedules, leading to a high number of missed collection reports. The Council is also facing challenges with an aging fleet of vehicles requiring replacement and issues with the quality of recycling and food waste sacks supplied by a new contractor. Efforts to reduce recycling contamination are ongoing, with trials of reverse-lidded recycling bins showing significant improvements. The Simpler Recycling programme is progressing, with new food waste and recycling containers being rolled out to flats above shops and private blocks.

Key performance indicators include £2.1m turnover for commercial waste, 1,414 monthly trade users, a 74% diversion rate at Harefield CA, and over 19,200 additional food waste properties delivered in 2025/26. Resident benefits include improved sustainability, reduced landfill dependency, and safer alternatives to waste dumping.

West London Waste Plan

Gavin Polkinghorn presented the draft West London Waste Plan, a statutory document required to manage waste expected to be produced within the area. The current plan, adopted in 2015, is considered outdated and is being replaced to align with national and regional planning policy and to plan for the next 15 years. The draft plan includes a vision, five strategic objectives, and six policies covering safeguarding waste sites, provision of additional capacity, residual waste management, quality of facilities, recovery and disposal to land, and the circular economy.

A key finding is that West London has sufficient waste management capacity for current and forecast waste arisings, except for landfill. The plan proposes to safeguard 23 sites in Hillingdon, a decrease from the previous 25. The consultation on the draft plan ran from December 2025 to February 2026, with further steps including a Regulation 19 consultation in mid-2026 and examination in 2027. The financial implications for the consultation are estimated at £3k, funded from the existing Planning Policy Service revenue budget.

Forward Plan

The Committee noted the Cabinet Forward Plan, which outlines key decisions and actions to be taken by the Cabinet and Cabinet Members over the coming year. The Committee can provide comments on items within its remit and request further information.

Work Programme

The Chair updated the Committee on the Work Programme, highlighting upcoming topics for discussion, including parking enforcement, waste services, community safety and cohesion, and Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). The Committee also noted the dates of future meetings and the continuation of site visits. The Chair thanked frontline staff for their work and acknowledged the professionalism of refuse crews.

Previous Meeting Minutes

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 18 February 2026 were agreed.

Safer Hillingdon Partnership Update

Chief Inspector Ben Wright, Borough Commander Daniel Johnson, and Richard Webb provided an update on the Safer Hillingdon Partnership. Key points included the adoption of the Safer Hillingdon Partnership Strategy and the development of a delivery plan. The London Fire Brigade confirmed preparedness for incidents at Heathrow Airport and discussed joint working with the police on issues like cannabis factories. Concerns were raised about police visibility due to officer abstraction for central London events, with the Chief Inspector explaining efforts to reduce this and focus on crime-fighting outcomes. The Met Engage platform was discussed as a communication tool, with Hillingdon showing strong registration rates. The London Fire Brigade highlighted the increasing trend of fires involving lithium-ion batteries and discussed their Charge Safe campaign. Partnership working between the Council, police, and fire brigade was detailed for high-rise building safety and addressing antisocial behaviour in parks.

Enforcement of Public Spaces Protection Orders, Street Trading & Fixed Penalty Notices

Richard Webb, Daniel Ferrer, and Dave Holmes presented an update on enforcement activities. Concerns were raised about the Council's website not having an option to report littering from vehicles. The use of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) was compared to neighbouring boroughs, and efforts to improve signage and public awareness were discussed. Issues with FPNs issued to businesses using Council waste services were clarified, with improved inter-departmental communication now in place. The effectiveness of Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) was questioned, with officers explaining targeted enforcement during the early implementation phase of the Heathrow taxi PSPO. The reinvestment of enforcement income into community safety was confirmed. The Committee raised concerns about begging, with officers explaining the challenges of enforcement under the Vagrancy Act and the current supportive approach. Flyposting and advertising offences were also discussed. The Cabinet Member acknowledged the growing issue of begging and committed to discussing it with officers.

Budget and Spend Report

Dan Kennedy, Matt Davis, and Ceri Lamoureux presented the budget monitoring position as of December 2025 (Month 9). The gross budget pressure was primarily driven by temporary accommodation and homelessness support, with Heathrow having a significant impact. Proactive measures to prevent evictions and secure alternative accommodation were detailed. The garden waste subscription income was noted as a strong contribution, despite a forecast shortfall. Officers expressed confidence in delivering savings targets marked as green – delivery in progress. Mitigations for service reductions and vacancy management were being achieved through smarter working and digital strategies. The Committee suggested reviewing the arrangements for finance officers' attendance at meetings to ensure effective use of time.

The Committee resolved to note the budget monitoring position for both the Council and services within its remit.

Forward Plan

The Committee noted the Cabinet Forward Plan, which outlines future key decisions and actions.

Work Programme

The Chair presented the Work Programme, highlighting upcoming topics and future meeting dates. The Committee noted the programme and agreed to any amendments. A recent visit to Harlington Depot by the Committee and refuse services staff was discussed, with appreciation expressed for the professionalism and dedication of frontline staff.

The meeting concluded with the Chair thanking the contributors and reminding Members of the need for care during the pre-election period.