The Cabinet of Waltham Forest Council met on Tuesday, 8 September 2026, to discuss the council's budget monitoring, housing strategy, temporary accommodation conversions, and the award of a contract for an agency procurement platform. Key decisions included noting the month 3 budget monitoring position, approving the capital programme forecast, and agreeing to revised budgets for temporary accommodation conversions.

2026-27 - Month 3 Budget Monitoring

The Cabinet noted the forecast outturn position for Revenue, HRA, and DSG as at month 3. They also reviewed the 2026/27 forecast for the Capital Programme, noting additions and deletions, and slippage to future years. A total Capital Programme forecast of £612.520m was approved, which includes the current year's forecast budget of £161.438m. The Cabinet also noted the current forecast for the use of reserves and the total debt across the Council. Several funding requests were approved: £0.058m for an additional political officer, £0.150m for three additional posts within the debt team, and £0.070m for temporary posts in the Communications team. An additional budget of £2.055m for housing incentives was also approved. Finally, a change control request for savings related to temporary accommodation leases was approved, reducing the saving from £3.000m to £2.109m.

Housing Strategy Delivery Update

The Cabinet noted the progress and delivery of the Housing Strategy over 2025-26. They also noted plans to review the strategy in consultation with residents, members, and other stakeholders. The report highlighted the ongoing housing crisis, with rising rents and limited supply impacting residents. It also detailed the council's efforts to increase the supply of affordable homes, manage temporary accommodation pressures, and improve the quality and safety of existing council homes. The council's commitment to tackling homelessness and ensuring residents have access to suitable homes as their circumstances change was reiterated.

Temporary Accommodation Conversions - Main Works Budgets

The Cabinet noted the progress made in developing four temporary accommodation conversion schemes. They approved a revised gross capital budget of up to £18,084,330 for these schemes, with a net Council funding requirement of £17,597,879 expected to be met from General Fund borrowing. This represents an increase of £2,723,330 (17.7%) on the previously approved budget. The financial case is based on these conversions replacing higher-cost external temporary accommodation, potentially reducing General Fund expenditure by approximately £800,000 per annum. The Cabinet approved a two-package, single-stage Design and Build procurement strategy and delegated contract award to the Strategic Director of Place, in consultation with other relevant directors. The two packages are: Package 1: Rowan House and 130 Trumpington Road; and Package 2: Cedar Wood House and 90 Crownfield Road.

Contract Award: Agency Procurement Platform

The Cabinet approved the Direct Award Call-Off contract to Matrix SCM for the provision of temporary agency workers. This contract will utilise the MSTAR4 (Managed Services for Temporary Agency Resources) framework agreement – London Collaboration, established by the Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO). The new contract will commence on 1 December 2026 for an initial two-year term, with the option to extend for two further periods of two years each, subject to satisfactory performance. This decision aims to maintain strengthened governance arrangements, ensure service continuity, and minimise transition risk, building on previous success in reducing agency spend. The Neutral Vendor model was favoured for its flexibility and access to a wide range of specialist agencies, which is crucial for filling roles in hard-to-recruit areas like social care. The contract also includes commitments to social value initiatives and aims to support the Council's long-term workforce transformation objectives.