The Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Redbridge Council met on Thursday 12 October 2023 to discuss several key reports, including the termination of the council's membership in Capital Letters Limited, the proposed Carers Charter for 2024-2027, and the potential new lease for Oakfield Playing Fields. The committee made recommendations to the Cabinet on these matters, with a particular focus on ensuring community benefits and social value in the Oakfield Playing Fields proposal.

Updates from Policy Development Committees

The committee received verbal updates from the Chairs of various Policy Development Committees (PDCs) and Scrutiny Committees (SCs). The Clean and Green PDC is focusing on sustainable transport, road safety, and active travel, and will be considering a progress update on the former Place Scrutiny Committee's Nature and Environment Task and Finish Group. The Children and Young People PDC is working on mental health services for young people and the concept of a Child Friendly Borough, while also addressing disproportionality. The Homes and Neighbourhoods PDC is focusing on rough sleeping and leisure facilities, with visits to relevant projects already undertaken. The Safe Redbridge PDC has been looking at youth justice prevention, crime reduction, and family therapy interventions, with a referral made to the Education Scrutiny Sub-committee regarding young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET). The Strategy and Resources PDC is concentrating on employment skills, enterprise, and financial resilience for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with further work planned on the council's procurement process. The External Scrutiny Committee's work plan includes updates from public transport providers and the Police, while the Health Scrutiny Sub-Committee is reviewing waiting times at Barts and BHRUT and the work of Joint Health Scrutiny Committees. The Education Scrutiny Sub-committee noted the referral regarding NEET individuals and has a busy work plan including GCSE and A Level results, SEND provision, and grammar schools. The committee noted these updates and agreed to receive a progress update on the Nature and Environment Task and Finish Group at its next meeting.

Pre-decision Scrutiny

The committee noted its role in pre-decision scrutiny, influencing Cabinet's decision-making. The Cabinet Forward Plan is available on the council website, and agenda items are selected for scrutiny through delegated authority.

Consideration of Executive Reports

Membership of Capital Letters

The committee considered a report recommending the termination of Redbridge Council's membership in Capital Letters Limited, a company wholly owned by London Borough members, which was established to procure new properties for homelessness duties. The Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness explained that Capital Letters had not met its property procurement targets since 2019, and proposed improvements had been unsuccessful. The council had served a formal notice of Material Breach to withdraw from the Service Level Agreement (SLA).

During the discussion, it was noted that initial funding of £38 million had been allocated to Capital Letters, with additional funding from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) for a transitional period. However, the company had not become self-financing. The council's in-house team had been significantly more successful in procuring properties. The committee was informed that other London Boroughs were considering similar actions. The Head of Business Change explained that authorities could still benefit from joint procurement arrangements locally outside of a formal agreement. The Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness acknowledged the impact of the financial market on the construction industry as a factor in Capital Letters' underperformance and agreed to a future report to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on lessons learned.

The committee resolved to note the report and Appendix A, and that Appendix A (the formal notice of material breach) was not for publication. They recommended to Cabinet that an update be brought back to the committee in a year's time to demonstrate the effectiveness of procuring properties in-house and to ensure lessons were learned.

Carers Charter 2024-2027

The committee reviewed the Redbridge Carers Charter for 2024-27, which replaces the previous 2017-20 strategy. The charter includes an Action Plan to guide the delivery and development of services for unpaid or informal carers, focusing on personalised care, raising the profile of carers, supporting young carers, enabling a life alongside caring, and providing information and advice.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health endorsed the report, highlighting the council's commitment to supporting carers. The Director of Public Health and Commissioning and Head of Strategic Social Care Commissioning responded to questions, with the committee commending the report and acknowledging the vital role of carers, particularly women and young carers. Discussions covered raising awareness of available support, including organisations like Connexions and Endorphins. The committee was informed that an Equality Impact Assessment was included in the report and that work was underway to clarify the definition of young carers.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health undertook to provide clarification on direct payments, consider suggestions for metrics to measure progress, work with schools and the Youth Council to celebrate young carers during Carers Week, and confirm the difference between the borough's and London's rates for unpaid carers.

The committee resolved to note the recommendations in the Cabinet report. Councillor A. Sachs declared an interest and did not participate in this discussion.

New Lease for Oakfield Playing Fields

The committee considered a report recommending the progression of negotiations for a lease of Oakfield Playing Fields and Jack Carter Pavilion to West Ham United Football Club (WHU FC), following a marketing exercise that received three bids. The Cabinet Member for Finance and Regeneration and the Corporate Director for Regeneration and Culture introduced the report.

It was explained that there were no existing leases on the land, and no income was being derived from its use, which prompted the decision to seek expressions of interest. WHU FC's bid was assessed as the best offer. The committee's focus was on recommending to Cabinet the delegation of authority to the Corporate Director of Regeneration to facilitate the grant of an agreement for lease and lease to WHU FC. The concept of 'Heads of Terms' was explained as a summary of lease terms to be developed, followed by detailed negotiation.

Concerns were raised by the committee and public speakers regarding the social value provided by Bealonians FC compared to the proposed rental income from WHU FC. The Corporate Director of Regeneration and Culture referred to legal comments in the report regarding social value and clarified that further discussions with Bealonians FC and negotiations with WHU FC could commence after Cabinet approval.

The committee resolved to note the report and Appendix A, and that Appendix B (exempt matters and bid details) was not for publication. They decided to defer recommendations pending consideration of the exempt information. Councillor J. Hehir declared an interest and did not participate in this discussion.

Following the exclusion of the public to discuss exempt information, the committee reiterated its comments and the Cabinet Member for Finance and Regeneration and Corporate Director of Regeneration and Culture provided further responses. The committee then resolved to note the exempt information and the recommendations in the Cabinet report. Crucially, they recommended to Cabinet that negotiations for any new lease for Oakfield Playing Fields must include consideration of social value benefits to the community, community involvement, particularly with Bealonians FC, and the development of quantifiable measures for continued community use. They requested that the Cabinet Member for Finance and Regeneration and Corporate Director of Regeneration and Culture consider the points raised by the public and committee members. The committee also requested an update at a future meeting. Councillor J. Hehir again declared an interest and did not participate in this discussion.