The Policy and Oversight Board were scheduled to meet on 16 July 2025, to discuss the cost of living in the borough, and the findings of a finance peer challenge. Councillors were also expected to discuss and note the board's work programme and the dates of future meetings.

Cost of Living Progress Report

The board were scheduled to discuss the Cost of Living Progress Report, the fourth in a series of reports on the council's response programme. The report provided an overview of activity from 2022/23 to 2024/25, and outlined the strategy for 2025/26.

The report stated that the council had invested £9.55 million, including £8.5 million from the Household Support Fund (HSF). In 2024/25 alone, the council delivered 76,000 awards of help to residents across the borough.

The programme's strategic approach included:

• building a strong alliance of partners across the borough
• delivering hardship relief to those most in need
• providing universal access to advice and guidance
• strengthening links to longer-term anti-poverty strategies.

The report also noted upcoming national policy changes, particularly the planned replacement of the HSF with the Crisis and Resilience Fund from April 2026, which is expected to provide more sustainable, multi-year funding for local crisis support.

The report included testimonials from residents and community organisations, including a 'Big Thank You' message sent to the Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion and Community Safety from a local pensioner who had received a £250 voucher from the council.

The report also noted that in 2024, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) undertook a HSF monitoring visit, concluding:

Compassion is at the heart of (H&Fs) approach…Those involved in delivery were passionate about using the fund to provide the right help for those who needed it, in a well-rounded and thoughtthrough way…

The report stated that the Cost of Living (COL) Alliance had been instrumental in delivering the programme's outcomes. Since January 2023, a steering group had convened regularly to share resources, provide strategic advice and support the implementation of schemes. The alliance had hosted seven COL-focused conferences and workshops, with an eighth planned for later in the year. The steering group had also played a key role in shaping the upcoming H&F Community Compass, a digital directory of local support services.

The strategy for 2025/26 was scheduled to continue the overall strategic approach of delivering alongside an alliance of partners, prioritising hardship relief to key groups most impacted, offering universal help and guidance to anyone that needs it and supporting preventative work through longer-term strategies. A total of £2.7 million was scheduled to be available, which would fund approximately 15 targeted schemes. Given the limited resources, the programme would concentrate on fewer, high-impact initiatives across three core areas: community support, hardship relief and preventative support.

Finance Peer Challenge Findings

The board were scheduled to discuss the findings following a Finance Peer Challenge (FPC) conducted of the council in April 2025. The FPC highlighted the following findings:

• the council has highly visible and effective political and officer leadership
• the council is very ambitious and financially well-run
• the organisation's financial track-record has enabled investment in clear political priorities
• the strong focus on Value for Money and Ruthless Financial Efficiency is led and supported by very capable members and officers
• the council is self-aware and recognises its future financial challenge will require a different response and is continuing to plan for this change
• the council has a strong track-record in both commissioning and contract managing external services – demonstrating its commitment to service improvements and social value
• there are some differing perceptions and understandings of the council's transformation approach and activity across the organisation – there is value from the council articulating its overall approach
• the council's leadership and effective working with public and private sector partners, including on economic growth, has important learning for the wider sector.

The final report contained seven recommendations:

• articulate the council's overall approach and strategy for transformation, including its scope and scale, as well as the respective roles of corporate centre and departments
• identify the capacity and capability needed to support the council's transformation agenda, including whether there should be a dedicated officer and member lead
• extend the Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) scenario planning analysis to include optimistic and pessimistic forecasts of future demand pressures
• progress work to appoint an independent member to the Audit Committee
• enhance the council's scrutiny and audit functions with regular training and support to members
• consider the Shared Services arrangements for assurance, treasury and pension functions to ensure they are embedded and meet the needs of the organisation
• share the learning with the sector from the council's leading-edge work on economic growth 'Upstream London'.

The action plan to implement the recommendations from the FPC was scheduled to be brought to the Policy and Oversight Board for review and ongoing monitoring.

Work Programme

The board were scheduled to discuss their work programme for the year. Items listed for future meetings included:

• Transformation Programme Overview
• Corporate Performance
• Co-production across the Council
• AI Adoption and Governance Update
• Revenue Budget and MTFS