The Sustainable Development Select Committee is scheduled to meet on Thursday, 5 November 2026. The meeting's agenda includes discussions on waste management and the circular economy, proposed budget reductions for 2027/28, and the committee's work programme.

Waste, Circular Economy and Clean Streets

The committee is set to receive an update on the council's efforts to maintain clean streets, improve waste and recycling performance, and support the transition to a circular economy. The report outlines the council's current performance, service developments, and the challenges it faces in responding to changing legislation, increasing service demands, and the need to reduce waste. It also covers the council's approach to community engagement and initiatives aimed at improving the local environment. The report details the role of Strategic Waste within Street Environment Services, which leads on legislative change, strategic direction, service improvement projects, and resident engagement. Lewisham manages waste through various routes, including recycling, composting, anaerobic digestion, energy recovery, and reuse, avoiding landfill. Key priorities include increasing household recycling, reducing residual waste, and implementing national reforms such as Simpler Recycling and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Alongside traditional waste services, the council is developing its approach to the circular economy, focusing on waste prevention and keeping products and materials in use for longer. This includes supporting reuse, repair, community initiatives, recycling engagement, and opportunities to recover materials that might otherwise enter the residual waste stream.

2027/28 Budget Reductions

A significant portion of the meeting will be dedicated to reviewing proposed budget reductions for the 2027/28 financial year. Mayor and Cabinet agreed in July 2026 to a Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) that necessitates savings of £64.469 million over the four-year period from 2027/28 to 2030/31. The projected savings profile for each year is £20.925m, £13.985m, £23.712m, and £5.847m respectively. The council is currently forecasting a gross overspend of £9.9 million for the 2026/27 financial year. Key announcements, including the Government's Autumn Budget Statement on 28 October 2026, are expected to influence the development of a revised MTFS, which will be published as part of the 2027/28 Budget Report. Officers have identified initiatives totalling £40 million to support the next two years, resulting in £16.888 million of savings identified for 2027/28 and £11.784 million for 2028/29 and 2029/30. These proposals are categorised into service re-design, demand management and prevention, invest to save, income generation, and service impact. As the identified proposals do not fully meet the budget gap, officers will continue to develop new proposals totalling at least £30 million, which will be presented as part of the 2027/28 budget setting process to minimise the risk of using reserves. The Sustainable Development Select Committee is asked to review specific savings proformas within its remit (CR-13, PLACE-04, PLACE-05, PLACE-08, PLACE-09, PLACE-11, PLACE-12, PLACE-13, PLACE-14, PLACE-15, and PLACE-22) and consider whether to make any referrals to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Select Committee Work Programme

The committee will also review its work programme for the upcoming year. This report provides an update on the committee's planned activities and offers members an opportunity to consider any urgent or necessary changes. The committee is asked to review the work programme attached at Appendix A, specify any additional information required for the items scheduled for the next meeting, and review the forward plan of key decisions at Appendix B to identify any items for further scrutiny. The work programme outlines topics such as clean streets, waste and circular economy, ecological emergencies, adaptation to climate breakdown, and the housing crisis.

The meeting documents, including the public reports pack and agenda frontsheet, are available online.^[1]