Apologies were received from Councillors Maisha Begum, Marc Francis.

Councillor Sabina Akhatar substituted for Councillor Maisha Begum.

Members are reminded to consider the categories of interest in the Code of Conduct for Members to determine whether they have an interest in any agenda item and any action they should take. For further details, please see the attached note from the Monitoring Officer.

Members are reminded to declare the nature of the interest and the agenda item it relates to. Please note that ultimately it’s the Members’ responsibility to declare any interests form and to update their register of interest form as required by the Code.

If in doubt as to the nature of your interest, you are advised to seek advice prior to the meeting by contacting the Monitoring Officer or Democratic Services

No declarations of disclosable pecuniary interest were received at the meeting.

Councillors was Bodrul Choudhury Was Elected Vice Chair.

None.

To consider and agree pre-decision scrutiny questions/comments to be presented to Cabinet.

(Time allocated – 30 minutes).

The Establishment of the Scrutiny Sub-Committees and Appointment of Members to those Sub-Committees was presented by Thomas French, Democratic Services Officer.

Councillor Ahmodur Rahman Khan was appointed Scrutiny Lead for Adults and Health Services (including Chairing the Health Scrutiny Sub-Committee).

Councillor Bodrul Choudhury was appointed Scrutiny Lead for Children & Education (including Chairing the Children & Education Scrutiny Sub-Committee).

Councillor Abdul Mannan was appointed Scrutiny Lead for Housing and Regeneration (including Chairing the Housing Scrutiny Sub-Committee).

Councillor Abdul Malik was appointed Scrutiny Lead for Community Safety.

The appointment of the Scrutiny Lead for Resources was deferred to a future committee meeting.

RESOLVED:

Members agreed to the recommendations within the report.

To consider any other unrestricted business that the Chair considers to be urgent.

Nil items.

As Mayor Lutfur Rahman was unable to attend both the 24 April and 16 May Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings, the Mayor’s Spotlight item has been moved to 22 May 2023 Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The Mayor’s Spotlight was presented by Mayor Lutfur Rahman, with Stephen Halsey, Interim Chief Executive and Stephen Bramah, Head of Corporate Strategy & Improvement, covering the achievements of the Council within 2022-24.

The committee raised the following comments and questions:

• How close are the council in reaching the house building targets? What progress is being made with bringing the council house management back in house?The Mayor stated that good homes for residents is a priority and is in partnership with organisations to deliver on this, including ensuring as many new homes are affordable as possible. Partnership working is important in housing, with Tower Hamlets Homes being brought in house and areas of regeneration within the borough.
• When will the free school meal roll out be achieved? How long will the free school provision be budgeted for? The Mayor reported that the free school meals will be rolled out in phases, with most starting in September, with other schools to follow in the next phases. The free school meal will be universal for all students.
• How is the council tackling crime within the borough? And will the council be requesting more police officers across the borough? How is crime being tackled in the council housing estates? Violence towards women and girls within the borough is a concern. The Mayor stated that the administration inherited a high crime borough and improvements in crime have been sought within the first year, including recruitment of local police and increased CCTV within the borough. There does need to be a cultural change in the borough to create a safe environment for women and girls and education can play a part in that, with investment in educational schemes.
• In what ways is the council learning about complaints? What examples can you suggest showing there have been improvements? The Mayor stated that residents bring complaints to him directly about services and these are brought to directors for action, but a lot of work needs to be done to ensure that residents see improvement in services. Stephen Halsey reported on how the council’s corporate plan addresses complaints and how complaints are audited annually. Big concerns from residents are on housing and environment, including waste collections. Work will need to be done across the council to address these concerns.
• What understanding does the council have on its own grants provision? Will there be an effect on voluntary and community groups? The Mayor reported on the current grants process, which is delegated to Officers but welcomed organisations within the borough to apply for the grants. Stephen Halsey confirmed that grant giving is now delegated to Chief Executive, and will be audited and subject to scrutiny in the usual way.
• What is the council doing to improve its waste collection service? Stephen Halsey commented that process around improvements in waste collection is not going fast enough, but recent recruitment should help with this and additional resources will be used to tackle the waste emergency.
• What is the progress on the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The recommendations on the Swimming Challenge Session  was presented by Matthew Eady, Director of Commissioning & Culture.

The committee raised the following comments and questions:

• Students who were impacted by Covid-19 Pandemic were unable to gain swimming skills, will there be a chance for them to access swimming classes or events? Matthew Eady reflected on the impact the pandemic had on swim provision for children and confirmed he will look at how this can be provided for as currently schools get funding for a select group of ages.
• What is the provision for women and girls to access swim sessions? Will there be more accessible sessions for those with access needs? Matthew Eady confirmed that the council was exploring different concepts around accessible services in swimming. Staffing is important to ensure that women and girls feel they are able to take part in swim sessions and recruitment will be key to ensure this.
• Swimming groups are finding it hard to gain funding to keep swimming clubs running.

RESOLVED:

Members noted the recommendations.

As the agenda circulated had no exempt/confidential reports and there was therefore no requirement to exclude the press and public to allow for its consideration.

Nil items.

To consider and agree pre-decision scrutiny questions/comments to be presented to Cabinet.

(Time allocated 15 minutes).

Nil items.

To consider any other exempt/ confidential business that the Chair considers to be urgent.

Nil items.