Councillor Adam Small
Email: Adam.Small@haringey.gov.uk
Council: Haringey
Council Profile: View on council website
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Positions, Voting Record & Activity Summary
Councillor Adam Small has demonstrated a consistent and evolving focus on financial prudence, operational efficiency, and the effective scrutiny of council services throughout his council service. His recent activity in 2026, particularly within the Budget, Overview and Scrutiny Committee, highlights a strong emphasis on direct financial advocacy and cost-saving initiatives.
Key Themes and Priorities:
Across both years, Small's primary focus has been on financial oversight and efficiency. In 2025, this manifested as a concern that an overemphasis on financial matters might detract from the broader scope of scrutiny. He consistently questioned budget assumptions, potential overspends, and the realism of financial projections. This concern for financial health has carried into 2026, where he has actively sought to influence financial policy, notably by proposing that the council lobby the DWP for additional cost coverage. His interest in cost-saving measures is also evident, with specific suggestions for election counts.
Another significant theme is operational effectiveness and resident impact. In 2025, he scrutinized housing matters, including repair satisfaction and policy implementation, and examined customer services, linking negative feedback to restructuring. He also showed interest in broader council initiatives like the 20mph speed limit. In 2026, this theme is reflected in his inquiries about HR charges, the corporate landlord model's savings, and the specifics of the Financial Sustainability Plan, indicating a desire to understand and optimize the council's internal workings.
Evolution of Focus:
While financial prudence has been a constant, Small's recent activity in 2026 shows a more proactive and direct approach to influencing financial policy. In 2025, his concerns about financial focus were framed as a potential hindrance to broader scrutiny. By 2026, he is actively proposing concrete actions, such as lobbying the DWP, and delving into the granular details of financial plans and operational costs. This suggests an evolution from identifying potential issues to actively seeking solutions and advocating for specific financial strategies.
Most Significant Contributions (Especially in Recent Years):
In 2026, Councillor Small's most significant contribution was his proposal for the council to lobby the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to cover additional costs borne by local authorities. This suggestion received committee support, indicating its potential impact. His focus on cost-saving measures for elections, such as utilizing the Civic Centre and shared venues, also represents a tangible effort to improve efficiency. His detailed inquiries into HR charges, the corporate landlord model, and the Financial Sustainability Plan demonstrate a deep engagement with the council's financial architecture.
Patterns and Consistent Areas of Interest:
Councillor Small consistently demonstrates a keen interest in scrutinizing financial plans and projections. He is not afraid to ask detailed questions about budgets, savings, and financial sustainability. He also shows a pattern of examining the operational aspects of council services, seeking to understand how they function and how they can be improved for efficiency and resident benefit. His engagement with committees like Budget, Overview and Scrutiny, and Housing, Planning and Development Scrutiny Panel underscores his commitment to holding the council accountable and driving positive change.
Yearly Activity Timeline
During January 2026, Councillor Adam Small was a vocal participant in the Budget, Overview and Scrutiny Committee. His key contributions included proposing that the council lobby the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to cover additional costs borne by local authorities, a suggestion that received committee support. He also focused on cost-saving measures, particularly concerning elections, suggesting the use of the new Civic Centre and shared venues for election counts. Councillor Small demonstrated a keen interest in financial matters, inquiring about HR charges, the long-term savings of the corporate landlord model, and the specifics of the Financial Sustainability Plan's independent sounding board.
He also highlighted the need for clarity on the Council's borrowing position and suggested leveraging digital technology and AI for lease updates. While present at the Licensing Committee, he did not record any specific actions or statements.
Monthly Activity in 2026
During January 2026, Councillor Adam Small was actively involved in the Budget, Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on January 19th. He proposed lobbying the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to cover additional costs incurred by local authorities, a suggestion the committee supported. He also commented on the modest 40% take-up of digital on-boarding, given the prevalence of digital payments. Councillor Small inquired about cost-saving measures for elections, including the potential use of the new Civic Centre for the 2030/31 elections and sharing large venues like Alexandra Palace with neighboring boroughs for election counts. He sought further details on HR charges related to maintaining service levels and questioned the long-term savings expected from the corporate landlord model. Additionally, he requested clarification on the independent sounding board
for the Financial Sustainability Plan and the impact of bad debt provision on the EFS requirement. Councillor Small also noted the omission of the Council's overall borrowing position in the report and suggested exploring digital technology and AI for updating leases. He was also present at the Licensing Committee meeting on January 26th, but there is no record of him speaking or taking action during that meeting.
Meetings in January 2026
Licensing Committee - Monday, 26th January, 2026 7.00 pm - 26 January 2026
Adam Small was a member of the Licensing Committee and was present at the meeting on 26th January 2026. There is no record of him speaking or taking any action during this meeting.
Budget, Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Monday, 19th January, 2026 6.30 pm - 19 January 2026
Councillor Adam Small was actively engaged in the Budget, Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on January 19th, 2026. He suggested lobbying the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to cover additional costs borne by local authorities, a suggestion the Committee agreed with. Regarding digital on-boarding, he commented that the reported 40% take-up seemed modest given the widespread use of digital payments. Councillor Small also raised questions about cost-saving measures for elections, querying the potential use of the new Civic Centre for the 2030/31 elections and suggesting that large venues like Alexandra Palace could be shared with neighbouring boroughs for election counts. He requested further details on HR charges related to maintaining current service levels and questioned whether the corporate landlord model would deliver the long-term savings originally envisioned. Additionally, Councillor Small sought clarification on the independent sounding board
for the Financial Sustainability Plan and the impact of bad debt provision on the EFS requirement. He also noted the absence of information on the Council's overall borrowing position in the report, despite interest payments for EFS being illustrated. Finally, he suggested exploring the use of digital technology and AI for updating leases, aligning with government encouragement for such investments.
Throughout 2025, Adam Small was a consistently active participant in council meetings, particularly within the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and as Chair of the Housing, Planning and Development Scrutiny Panel. A key theme of his engagement was a persistent concern that an increased focus on financial matters was potentially hindering the committee's ability to address a comprehensive range of issues, stating, > the ability of Scrutiny to focus on a full range of issues was likely to be impacted by the additional focus on finance issues.
He demonstrated a keen interest in financial prudence, questioning budget assumptions, potential overspends, optimism bias, and the realism of financial projections, including those related to government funding and borrowing costs. Small also actively scrutinized housing matters, seeking clarification on thresholds for adaptations, estate inspection discrepancies, and the implementation of policies like the downsizing review. He raised concerns about resident satisfaction with housing repairs, the timeline for achieving 100% Decent Homes,
and the potential impact of Awaab's Law on legal disrepair cases. Furthermore, he examined customer services, linking negative feedback to restructuring and questioning the council's capacity for modernization and digitalization. His inquiries often touched upon long-term financial pressures, staff morale, and the effectiveness of council operations, including the financing of capital programs and the outcomes of the Fair Funding review. He also inquired about the council's progress on implementing a 20mph speed limit across all Haringey roads.
Monthly Activity in 2025
In November 2025, Adam Small was active in two council meetings. As Chair of the Housing, Planning and Development Scrutiny Panel on November 17th, he focused on housing-related budget aspects, expressing concerns about resident dissatisfaction with repair communications and the timeline for achieving 100% Decent Homes.
He anticipated an increase in legal disrepair cases due to Awaab's Law and highlighted health risks to residents. Small also inquired about subletting and suggested monitoring new contract performance as a future work program item. During the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on November 27th, he discussed the Annual Feedback & Resolution Report and Customer Services. Small emphasized the importance of avoiding maladministration, sought clarification on responsibilities for delayed responses, and questioned the impact of increased Stage 1 complaints on Stage 2 workload. He also requested more details on the benefits of monthly performance reviews with the Housing Services Leadership Team and expressed concern that previous budget savings had led to excessive pressure on customer service staff.
Meetings in November 2025
Budget (Strategy & Engagement), Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Thursday, 27th November, 2025 7.00 pm - 27 November 2025
During the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on November 27, 2025, Councillor Adam Small raised several points regarding the Annual Feedback & Resolution Report and Customer Services. He commented on the new approach to acknowledging mistakes, emphasizing the need to avoid tolerating maladministration. Councillor Small sought clarification on the division of responsibility for delayed responses between the complaints team and service departments. He also inquired about the impact of the significant increase in Stage 1 complaints on the Stage 2 workload and response timeliness, referencing a graph on page 77. Furthermore, he requested more details on the benefits of monthly performance reviews with the Housing Services Leadership Team, as outlined on page 61. In the context of customer service experience, Councillor Small noted that some residents might prefer long waiting times over being unable to connect at all. He also expressed concern that previous budget savings, achieved by reducing budgets and staffing, were not service delivery improvements but rather cuts that placed excessive pressure on customer service staff.
Budget Scrutiny, Housing, Planning and Development Scrutiny Panel - Monday, 17th November, 2025 6.30 pm - 17 November 2025
As Chair of the Housing, Planning and Development Scrutiny Panel, Adam Small guided the meeting by referring members to agenda items and directing their questions towards housing-related budget aspects. He expressed concerns regarding resident dissatisfaction with council communications on repairs and the timeline for achieving 100% Decent Homes,
particularly questioning the backloaded delivery profile and the potential impact of damp and mould. Small also anticipated a rise in legal disrepair cases following the implementation of Awaab's Law, emphasizing the health risks to residents as the primary concern. He inquired about damp and mould vulnerability data and requested future KPI updates include information on legal disrepair cases. Additionally, he sought a written response on the number of residents subletting rooms, suggesting it might discourage downsizing. He also signed the minutes as Chair and noted that monitoring new contract performance could be a future work programme item.
During the October 20th, 2025 Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting, Adam Small highlighted potential scrutiny of customer services, linking negative feedback from the Scrutiny Café consultation to recent remodelling and restructuring. He also questioned the Council's capacity for significant modernization, particularly in digitalization. His concerns echo those raised in previous meetings, including long-term financial pressures, borrowing costs, staff morale, and the realism of budget-setting assumptions. He also inquired about the Council's ability to finance its capital program and the outcomes of the Fair Funding review.
Meetings in October 2025
Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Monday, 20th October, 2025 7.00 pm - 20 October 2025
In the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on October 20th, 2025, Adam Small was present and raised several key points. He drew attention to the potential scrutiny of customer services, noting the correlation between the remodelling and restructuring of customer services and negative feedback from the Scrutiny Café consultation. He also inquired about the Council's capacity to undertake significant modernization efforts, particularly in relation to digitalization. Earlier in the year, during the September 18th, 2025 Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting, Small had actively questioned long-term financial pressures, including borrowing costs and their impact on capital projects, as well as the support mechanisms for staff morale. He also sought details on longer-term cost savings from the corporate property model and expressed concerns about the realism of budget-setting assumptions in the Finance Update (Q1 2025/26), questioning if current savings measures might lead to greater long-term costs. Furthermore, he asked about the Council's ability to finance its capital program and the outcomes of the Fair Funding review. He also requested that details of the annual self-assessment for the Ombudsman Complaints Code be included in future updates. As Chair of the Housing, Planning and Development Scrutiny Panel on June 23rd, 2025, Small clarified details regarding a £1k threshold for works, the reasons for differing volumes in OT Duty Team versus OT Sensory team, and the scope of aids and adaptations works. He introduced the panel's review on Temporary Accommodation (TA) Placements Policy and Private Rented Sector (PRS) Discharge Policy, emphasizing the need for government lobbying and inter-borough cooperation. He also highlighted a connection made between Temporary Accommodation residents and Family Hubs during a recent SEND briefing.
During September 2025, Councillor Adam Small was active in two council meetings. In the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on September 18th, he raised concerns about financial projections, noting potential overspends and questioning the risk of optimism bias in budgeting. He requested more detail on cost increase assumptions and the recovery of bad debts, and suggested the committee should have access to modelling assumptions for government funding changes.
As Chair of the Housing, Planning and Development Scrutiny Panel on September 23rd, Adam Small addressed agenda items, including filming. He sought clarification on the £1k threshold for housing adaptations, its application across tenures, and whether it was means-tested. He also shared his experience regarding estate inspections, noting discrepancies with reported resident slot times during drop-ins. He invited and thanked the chair of the resident voice board for her input. Looking forward, Small announced his intention to conduct a scrutiny review of the downsizing policy later in the year and concluded the meeting by signing the minutes as Chair.
Meetings in September 2025
Housing, Planning and Development Scrutiny Panel - Tuesday, 23rd September, 2025 6.30 pm - 23 September 2025
As Chair of the Housing, Planning and Development Scrutiny Panel, Adam Small guided the meeting by referring members to agenda Item 1 concerning filming. He sought clarification on the £1k threshold for housing adaptations, inquiring if it applied universally across tenures and was means-tested. Small also shared his observations regarding estate inspections, noting they were typically driven by ward councillors, and that the report's claim of 30-minute resident slots during estate drop-ins didn't align with his experience. He invited the chair of the resident voice board to share her perspective and subsequently thanked her for her contribution. Looking ahead, Small indicated his intention to conduct a scrutiny review of the downsizing policy later in the year. He concluded his duties by signing the minutes as Chair.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Thursday, 18th September, 2025 7.00 pm - 18 September 2025
During the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on September 18th, 2025, Councillor Adam Small made several observations and posed questions regarding financial projections and budgeting. He noted that in-year projections seemed to indicate significant overspends approximately six months into the year, with the remainder of the year appearing stable against revised predictions. Councillor Small inquired about the risk of optimism bias in setting challenging budgets and requested more detailed information on how year-on-year cost increase assumptions were calculated and how confidence in these projections could be scrutinized. He also asked about the anticipated future recovery of bad debts, referencing a significant write-off mentioned in a report. Furthermore, Councillor Small suggested that the committee should have access to the modelling assumptions related to potential funding changes from the government's Fair Funding review.
During July 2025, Councillor Adam Small actively participated in two council meetings. On July 21st, he inquired about the Council's progress on implementing a 20mph speed limit across all Haringey roads as part of the corporate delivery plan. The following day, at the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting, he voiced concerns that an increased focus on financial matters might hinder the committee's capacity to examine a comprehensive range of topics, stating,
the ability of Scrutiny to focus on a full range of issues was likely to be impacted by the additional focus on finance issues.
Meetings in July 2025
Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Tuesday, 22nd July, 2025 7.00 pm - 22 July 2025
During the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on July 22nd, 2025, Cllr Adam Small was present and commented on the OSC Work Programme. He expressed concern that the increased focus on financial issues would likely affect the committee's ability to address a full range of topics.
the ability of Scrutiny to focus on a full range of issues was likely to be impacted by the additional focus on finance issues.
Full Council - Monday, 21st July, 2025 7.30 pm - 21 July 2025
Councillor Adam Small asked a question regarding the Council's progress on its corporate delivery plan commitment to implement a maximum speed limit of 20mph on all roads in Haringey. He specifically asked:
Could the Cabinet Member provide an update on how the Council is progressing on its corporate delivery plan commitment to make all roads in Haringey a maximum of 20mph?
During the June 19th, 2025 Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting, Adam Small, in his capacity as Chair of the Housing, Planning and Development Scrutiny Panel, voiced concerns that an increased emphasis on financial matters might hinder the committee's ability to address a comprehensive range of issues. > The ability of Scrutiny to focus on a full range of issues was likely to be impacted by the additional focus on finance issues.
Meetings in June 2025
Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Thursday, 19th June, 2025 7.00 pm - 19 June 2025
As Chair of the Housing, Planning and Development Scrutiny Panel, Adam Small was present at the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting. He expressed concern that the committee's ability to address a full range of issues might be affected by an increased focus on financial matters.
The ability of Scrutiny to focus on a full range of issues was likely to be impacted by the additional focus on finance issues.
During May 2025, Adam Small attended the Annual Meeting of the Full Council on May 19th. He is noted as a non-executive member of the Labour Group. No specific statements or actions were recorded for him during this meeting.
Meetings in May 2025
Annual Meeting, Full Council - Monday, 19th May, 2025 7.30 pm - 19 May 2025
Adam Small was present at the Annual Meeting of the Full Council on 19th May 2025. He is identified as a non-executive member of the Labour Group. No specific statements or actions were attributed to him in the provided documents.
During the March 24th, 2025 Full Council meeting, Adam Small was involved in the discussions and voting on the 2025/26 Budget and Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2025/30. He voted against four specific budget amendments (1-4) but supported the main budget recommendations (a-n).
Meetings in March 2025
Full Council - Monday, 24th March, 2025 7.30 pm - 24 March 2025
During the Full Council meeting on March 24th, 2025, Adam Small actively participated in the discussion regarding the 2025/26 Budget and Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2025/30. He cast votes against Budget Amendment 1, Budget Amendment 2, Budget Amendment 3, and Budget Amendment 4. Conversely, he voted in favor of the main budget recommendations, labeled (a) through (n).
Audit CommitteeTuesday, 11th March, 2025 7.00 pm - 11 March 2025
Adam Small was listed as present at the Audit Committee meeting held on March 11, 2025. He had previously sent apologies for absence from the Audit Committee meeting held on January 27, 2025. There is no indication that he spoke or took any specific actions during the March 11th meeting.
Budget, Full CouncilMonday, 3rd March, 2025 7.30 pm - 3 March 2025
Adam Small was present at the Full Council meeting on March 3, 2025. However, the available documents do not indicate that he spoke or took any specific action during the meeting.
Activity Timeline
Meetings Attended Note this may include planned future meetings.
27 meetings · Page 1 of 6
Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Thursday, 12th February, 2026 7.00 pm
Licensing Committee - Monday, 26th January, 2026 7.00 pm
The Licensing Committee of Haringey Council was scheduled to discuss proposed increases to various licensing fees for the 2026-27 financial year. The committee was also due to review the minutes from a previous meeting held on 6 November 2025.
Budget, Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Monday, 19th January, 2026 6.30 pm
The Overview and Scrutiny Committee met on Monday 19 January 2026 to scrutinise the council's draft budget and medium-term financial strategy, and to review the Treasury Management Strategy Statement for 2026/27. Key discussions focused on the significant budget deficit facing the council, the reliance on Exceptional Financial Support (EFS), and the sustainability of borrowing levels.
Budget - HRA, Housing, Planning and Development Scrutiny Panel - Monday, 15th December, 2025 6.30 pm
The Housing, Planning and Development Scrutiny Panel are scheduled to meet on Monday 15th December 2025 at George Meehan House. The meeting is scheduled to include discussion of the Housing Revenue Account Business Plan and Budget for 2026/27, a finance update for the second quarter of 2025/26, and a set of key performance indicators relating to the Housing Service. There will also be a verbal update from the Cabinet Member for Placemaking and Local Economy.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Wednesday, 10th December, 2025 7.00 pm
The Overview and Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to meet to review the council's financial position at the end of Quarter 2 of 2025/26, and to consider the committee's work programme. The committee was also scheduled to look at minutes from joint meetings of the Adults & Health Scrutiny Panel and the Children & Young People's Scrutiny Panel regarding the Council's Transitions Programme.
Decisions from Meetings
0 decisions
No decisions found for the selected date range.
Summary
Meetings Attended: 27
Average per Month: 1.8
Decisions Recorded: 0