The Scrutiny Coordinating Committee was scheduled to discuss updates on resident experience and digital services, the progress of the Communities and Participation Programme, and the use of data and insight in scrutiny. The committee was also due to review its own work programme and forward plans.

Resident Experience, Digital and Technology Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the Resident Experience Programme and the Customer Resolution Centre (CRC). This programme, which has involved an investment of £3.109 million, aims to modernise how residents contact the council, improve the website's usability and content, and transform the contact centre. The report indicated that the programme is delivering £0.914 million per year in recurring financial benefits and is projected to break even in 2028/29.

Key areas of focus for the website redesign included Council Tax, Housing Rent, the Housing Register, Adult Social Care, Schools Admissions, Large Item Collections, and the SEND Online Offer. The website redesign is being developed to meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards. The report also detailed a significant surge in calls to the CRC in March 2025, which led to a task force being established to identify root causes and develop a plan to reduce avoidable contact. This plan includes redesigning the IVR and call routing, upskilling staff, reviewing outbound communications, exploring new call functionality and channels like AI-assisted web chat and voice bots, and improving online self-service options. The report highlighted that since the changes were introduced, daily calls received have fallen by 36.3%, calls answered have increased to 85.5%, and average wait times have reduced to under 7 minutes.

Communities & Participation Programme Update

This update was scheduled to provide information on key activities within the Council's Communities & Participation programme, which supports the voluntary and community sector (VCS) and aims to build a closer relationship between the council and the VCS. The programme also contributes to the Council's Building Stronger Communities initiative, focusing on early intervention and prevention.

The report was expected to cover the establishment of Waltham Forest Council for Voluntary Services (WF CVS) as an independent charity, which has received £100k in start-up funding. It was also to detail a refreshed approach to strategic engagement with community partners, including the evolution of the Community Resilience Alliance (CRA) and the development of a new Together for Waltham Forest Partnership and a shared Council–VCS Covenant. The Community Health Champions (CHC) programme, which trains residents to share health information and signpost to services, was also to be discussed. Additionally, an update on the VCS Lease and Rent Policy, which offers a consistent framework for VCS organisations accessing council buildings with an 80% discount on market rent, was scheduled. Finally, the report was to cover ongoing support for VCS-led food projects, aiming to move towards more preventative, income-based models.

Data and Insight in Scrutiny

This report was intended to provide the Scrutiny Coordinating Committee with an overview of the current and potential use of data and insight in scrutiny, with the aim of supporting discussions on future development of these tools and associated training. It was also to provide an update on the recent publication of the Local Outcomes Framework (LOF).

The report emphasised the importance of high-quality data and insight for effective scrutiny, enabling members to ask the right questions and provide constructive challenge. Sources of insight were to include quantitative data from the Corporate Impact Framework (CIF), which provides a view of key impact measures aligned to Mission Waltham Forest, and qualitative insights from resident engagement, such as the annual resident insight survey and the contributions of Young Advisers. The report also highlighted the value of perspectives from statutory partners and external experts. The recently published Local Outcomes Framework, a national framework for assessing progress against key priorities, was presented as an additional source of data for scrutiny, with plans to explore alignment opportunities between the CIF and LOF.

The Scrutiny Report

This item was scheduled to invite the Committee to review the Forward Plan for the ongoing municipal year and make recommendations as necessary. The report was to include the Forward Plan itself, an Action Tracker detailing progress on actions required of officers from previous meetings, and a Recommendation Tracker outlining the committee's conclusions on how services should change or improve. The committee was also to review the Cabinet Forward Plan, which publicises key decisions to be taken by the Executive, and consider any items for the 2026-27 scrutiny cycle. The report also outlined the Scrutiny Prioritisation Tool, which helps determine the significance of potential scrutiny items based on public interest, ability to change, performance, extent, resource, and statutory responsibility.