The Scrutiny & Overview Committee of Croydon Council met on Wednesday 27 May 2026 to discuss the appointments to its various sub-committees. The primary focus was on determining the membership and representation of different political groups on these sub-committees, ensuring adherence to political balance requirements.

Appointments to Scrutiny and Overview Sub-Committees

The main item scheduled for discussion was the appointment of members to the four Scrutiny and Overview Sub-Committees: the Children and Young People Sub-Committee, the Health and Social Care Sub-Committee, the Homes Sub-Committee, and the Streets and Environment Sub-Committee. The report pack indicated that the committee was asked to agree the proposed membership, including the appointment of Chairs and Vice-Chairs for each sub-committee.

The report detailed the rationale behind the current structure, noting that the separation of the former Streets, Environment and Homes Sub-Committee into two distinct bodies was to be reviewed. This separation, which occurred in October 2022 following well-publicised reports on housing conditions in Council-owned properties on Regina Road, was initially a trial measure. It was extended due to housing being a key Council priority, and a further review was scheduled for June/July 2026, six months after the first meeting of the independently chaired Housing Assurance Board on 15 December 2025.

A key consideration for the appointments was the adherence to political balance rules, as set out in sections 15 to 17 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and supplemented by the Local Government (Committees and Political Groups) Regulations 1990. The report outlined the political composition of the Council following the May 2026 elections: Labour Group (30 members, 42.5%), Conservative Group (29 members, 40.85%), Green Group (8 members, 11.27%), Liberal Democrat Group (2 members, 2.82%), and Reform UK Group (2 members, 2.82%).

The report proposed that each sub-committee would comprise seven members, plus co-opted members where applicable. This would result in an allocation of three seats each to the Labour and Conservative Groups, and one seat to the Green Group on each sub-committee, reflecting the overall proportionality of the Council. The Liberal Democrat and Reform UK Groups would not be allocated seats based on proportionality due to their relative size.

The report also noted that the committee had previously agreed to waive political balance requirements to allocate seats to smaller groups, but this required unanimous agreement and prior notice. As no such notice was given for this meeting, the committee was unable to depart from the political balance requirements at this time. However, changes to sub-committee membership could be made during the municipal year.

The report recommended that the Committee agree the proposed appointments, including regular co-opted and reserve members, as well as Chairs and Vice-Chairs, as detailed in Appendix 1 of the Agenda Supplement - Appointments to Scrutiny Overview Sub-Committees 27th-May-2026 Scrutiny Ov.pdf. It also recommended noting that the division of the Streets, Environment & Homes Sub-Committee remained in place, pending the review in summer 2026/27.

The report pack also included standard agenda items such as apologies for absence, disclosure of interests, and urgent business. It also outlined the procedure for the exclusion of the press and public from any part of the meeting where exempt information might be disclosed.