Agenda and draft minutes
PDF 302 KBVenue: Woodside Room - George Meehan House, 294 High Road, N22 8JZ. View directions
Contact: Dominic O'Brien, Principal Scrutiny Officer, Email: dominic.obrien@haringey.gov.uk
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FILMING AT MEETINGS Please note that this meeting may be filmed or recorded by the Council for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site or by anyone attending the meeting using any communication method. Although we ask members of the public recording, filming or reporting on the meeting not to include the public seating areas, members of the public attending the meeting should be aware that we cannot guarantee that they will not be filmed or recorded by others attending the meeting. Members of the public participating in the meeting (e.g. making deputations, asking questions, making oral protests) should be aware that they are likely to be filmed, recorded or reported on.
By entering the meeting room and using the public seating area, you are consenting to being filmed and to the possible use of those images and sound recordings.
The chair of the meeting has the discretion to terminate or suspend filming or recording, if in his or her opinion continuation of the filming, recording or reporting would disrupt or prejudice the proceedings, infringe the rights of any individual or may lead to the breach of a legal obligation by the Council. Minutes: The Chair referred Members present to Agenda Item 1 as shown on the agenda front sheet, in respect of filming at meetings, and Members noted the information therein. |
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Apologies for Absence Minutes: None. |
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Urgent Business The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of urgent business. (Late items will be considered under the agenda item where they appear. New items will be dealt with at item below). Minutes: None. |
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Declarations of Interest A member with a disclosable pecuniary interest or a prejudicial interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered:
(i) must disclose the interest at the start of the meeting or when the interest becomes apparent, and (ii) may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must withdraw from the meeting room.
A member who discloses at a meeting a disclosable pecuniary interest which is not registered in the Register of Members’ Interests or the subject of a pending notification must notify the Monitoring Officer of the interest within 28 days of the disclosure.
Disclosable pecuniary interests, personal interests and prejudicial interests are defined at Paragraphs 5-7 and Appendix A of the Members’ Code of Conduct Minutes: None. |
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Deputations/Petitions/Presentations/Questions To consider any requests received in accordance with Part 4, Section B, paragraph 29 of the Council’s constitution. Minutes: None. |
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To approve the minutes of the previous meeting. Minutes: The minutes of the previous meeting were approved.
RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meetings held on 20th October 2025 be approved as an accurate record.
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Minutes of Scrutiny Panel meetings To receive and note the minutes of the following Scrutiny Panels and to approve any recommendations contained within:
Additional documents:
Minutes: The minutes of the following meetings were noted:
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Scrutiny of 2026/27 Draft Budget and Medium Term Financial Strategy 2026/2031 To consider and make recommendations to Cabinet on the draft budget 2026/27 and the Medium Term Financial Strategy 2026/2031.
This item will be considered in two parts:
a) To consider the proposals presented in the report and appendices that relate specifically to the remit of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. b) To consider the overall approach to the Council’s draft Budget and MTFS report, including the measures being taken to address the budget gap.
Additional documents:
Minutes: Cllr Pippa Connor chaired the discussion on this item which was in two parts:
a) To consider the proposals presented in the report and appendices that related specifically to the remit of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. b) To consider the overall approach to the Council’s draft Budget and MTFS report, including the measures being taken to address the budget gap.
Participants for this item were: Cllr Dana Carlin (Cabinet Member for Finance & Corporate Services) Cllr Ruth Gordon (Cabinet Member for Placemaking & Local Economy) Cllr Seema Chandwani (Cabinet Member for Resident Services & Tackling Inequality) Taryn Eves (Corporate Director of Finance & Resources) (S151 Officer) Josephine Lyseight (Director of Finance) (Deputy S151 Officer) John O’Keefe (Head of Finance - Capital, Place, & Economy) Barry Francis (Corporate Director of Environment & Resident Experience) Kari Manovitch (Delivery Director – Tackling Inequality) Greg Osborne (Head of Revenue, Benefits & Tackling Inequality) Jess Crowe (Corporate Director of Culture, Strategy & Communities)
PART A of this item involved the scrutiny of individual proposals in appendices 3 to 6 of the Directorate Appendices on pages 105 to 117 of the agenda pack.
PART A – DIRECTORATE APPENDICES
Appendix 3 - Environment & Resident Experience
BUDGET PRESSURE - Increase in Bad Debt Provision against shortfall in court cost recovery
Barry Francis, Corporate Director of Environment & Resident Experience, explained that this was a historic and ongoing pressure involving the cost of taking cases to court that were not recovered by fees or by being awarded by the court to the Council. Consideration was being given to altering the level of fees and charges in order to offset this as a pressure, but this had not yet been agreed. It was established that further details of fees and charges would be published in the agenda papers for the meeting of the Cabinet taking place on 9th December.
Cllr Carlin, Cabinet Member for Finance & Corporate Services, highlighted that the Council would engage with people who had fallen behind on their Council Tax payments because of financial difficulties rather than triggering court proceedings at an early stage. The Council also had the discretion not to charge court costs in order to avoid exacerbating their financial situation, which meant that full cost recovery was not always made. In future, cost recovery would include evidencing the full costs to the Council, including administrative costs.
The Committee noted that full details of the fees and charges were not yet available and so this may need to be considered at the Committee’s budget meeting in January. However, the Committee emphasised the importance of maintaining an approach that would not worsen the circumstances of residents experiencing financial difficulties. (ACTION)
BUDGET PRESSURE - Ongoing pressures relating to Housing Benefit overpayments
Greg Osborne, Head of Revenue, Benefits & Tackling Inequality, explained that Housing Benefits was a difficult area to administer and that a rise in costs had been seen with supported exempt accommodation in recent years. This often came with increased service charges and was only partially subsidised rather than fully subsidised. He said that ... view the full minutes text for item 54. |
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Scoping Documents - Scrutiny Reviews To consider and approve the scoping documents and terms of reference for the following Scrutiny Reviews: - Communications with Residents (Adult Social Care)
Minutes: Cllr White resumed as Chair of the Committee for the reminder of the meeting.
Cllr White highlighted the scoping document and terms of reference for a forthcoming Scrutiny Review by the Adults & Health Scrutiny Panel on communications with residents on adult social care issues. The Committee approved this document.
RESOLVED – That the scoping document for a Scrutiny Review on Communications with Residents (Adult Social Care) be approved.
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Work Programme Update To note the current 2025/26 work programme for the Committee and to propose any amendments as required. Additional documents:
Minutes: Cllr White noted that the next meeting of the Committee would be taking place on 10th December 2025 and that the confirmed items were the Finance Update for Q2 and the OSC tracker for previously approved savings. He requested that any proposals for additional agenda items at this meeting should be sent to the Scrutiny Officer.
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Future meetings
Minutes: - Wed 10th Dec 2025 (7pm) - Mon 19th Jan 2026 (7pm) - Thurs 12th Feb 2026 (7pm) - Wed 11th Mar 2026 (7pm) |