The Public Protection and Enforcement Policy Development & Scrutiny Committee meeting was scheduled to review the council's performance and future plans for public protection services. Key discussions were expected to focus on the 2025/26 performance overview, the draft portfolio plan for 2026/27, and updates on various operational areas including food safety, risk management, and contracts.

Matters Arising and Work Programme

The committee was scheduled to review progress on actions arising from previous meetings and consider the Forward Work Programme for the upcoming year. This includes reviewing the provisional report titles, authors, and the type of reports planned, allowing for suggestions and changes to be made to the scrutiny schedule.

Portfolio Holder Update

Councillor Angela Page, Portfolio Holder for Public Protection & Enforcement, was expected to provide an update on the activities and developments within her portfolio since the last meeting.

Public Protection Performance Overview 2025/26

A review of the performance against the key performance indicators (KPIs) set out in the Public Protection & Enforcement Portfolio Plan for 2025/26 was scheduled. The report indicated that all but one KPI were rated as green, with KPI 1C, To disseminate 25 Alerts on emerging topics including doorstep crime and scams, being rated red. This was attributed to the need to reallocate resources to higher priority enforcement work.

Pre-Decision Scrutiny of Decisions for the Public Protection and Enforcement Portfolio Holder

Public Protection and Enforcement Portfolio Plan 2026/27

The committee was set to scrutinise the draft Public Protection and Enforcement Portfolio Plan for 2026/27. This plan outlines how the council's public protection, neighbourhood enforcement, and planning enforcement functions will contribute to the wider corporate ambitions of Making Bromley Even Better and Transforming Bromley. It details a coordinated, risk-based, and intelligence-led approach across regulatory and enforcement services, covering areas such as Trading Standards, food safety, housing enforcement, licensing, environmental protection, community safety coordination, emergency planning, and CCTV. The plan is aligned with various council strategies and has been informed by resident feedback, community safety data, and stakeholder input.

Final Outturn Report 2025/26

This report was scheduled to present the revenue budget monitoring position for 2025/26 for the Public Protection & Enforcement Services Portfolio, based on expenditure and activity levels for the fourth quarter of the financial year. The report indicated an overall underspend of £332,000 for the financial year. Reasons for variations included lower-than-expected costs for the coroners and mortuary service, and a delay in the upgrade of the CCTV system. Carry-forward requests for unspent grant income and delayed expenditure were also detailed.

Update Items

Annual Food Safety Plan 2026/27

The committee was to review Bromley's Food Safety Service Plan for 2026–2027. This plan sets out the strategic and operational framework for delivering food law enforcement, in line with the Food Standards Agency's (FSA) Food Law Code of Practice. It details the number of registered food businesses, the inspection programme, and performance summaries from the previous year. The plan also addresses service aims and objectives, strategic links to corporate ambitions, and resource allocation.

Risk Register

The revised Public Protection and Enforcement Risk Register was presented for scrutiny. This register details departmental risks, their causes and effects, and the existing controls in place to mitigate them. The report highlighted that the Increased Costs for Coroners Service risk remained rated as red, with ongoing efforts to ascertain the full financial implications for Bromley.

Contracts Register

The committee was scheduled to review an extract from the Contracts Register as of May 2026, detailing contracts with a whole-life value of £50,000 or higher. This report provides a snapshot of the council's procurement activity and is used by contract managers. The summary for the Public Protection & Enforcement Portfolio indicated 10 active contracts with a value of £50k or higher.

The meeting also included standard items such as apologies for absence, declarations of interest, minutes of the previous meeting, and opportunities for oral questions from the public and councillors. Part 2 of the agenda was to consider exempt information items related to contracts.