The Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee met to discuss recycling performance, budget updates, and the committee's work programme for the year. Key discussion points included strategies for improving recycling rates, addressing financial pressures, and ensuring effective community engagement.

Recycling in Brent

The committee reviewed a report on recycling performance in Brent, focusing on different waste types and service delivery since April 2023.

• Dry Mixed Recycling (DMR): There was a 4.07% increase in DMR collected, attributed to fewer rejected loads.
• Paper and Card (Blue Sacks): While the tonnage was similar to the previous year, contamination decreased by 52.2%. The committee heard that 18,652 blue sacks had been ordered, with missing sacks being a common reason.
• Garden Waste: Collection trends were seasonal, with subscriptions potentially affected by a recent price increase to £69.
• Food Waste: There was a 6.9% improvement due to the rollout of food waste collection in flats and communal blocks.

The report compared Brent's recycling rates with neighbouring boroughs, showing an upward trend from 24.8% to 33.8%. However, Councillor Janice Long noted that these figures excluded estates.

The committee discussed contamination levels, with Councillor Long highlighting the grotty state of bins in communal blocks. The committee heard that new bins with reverse lids and auto-locks were being trialled to combat this. Councillor Daniel Kennelly asked about enforcement powers against housing management companies that fail to improve recycling facilities. It was clarified that recycling isn't directly enforceable by legislation.

Councillor Anthony Molloy asked how much of the borough's waste was communal versus kerbside, and was told that there were 2-300 tons a month from communal recycling, and 1-1,200 tons from kerbside recycling.

Penny, a representative from Veolia, stated that the company was trialling new bins with reverse lids and auto-locks to prevent contamination.

Councillor Long asked how the council would ensure cardboard could be recycled with the new bins, and was told that residents would need to flatten it.

Councillor Kennelly asked why the council wasn't investing in new technology to make the service more up to date, and was told that residents receive a text message when their appointment is booked, 24 hours before, and when the operative is on their way.

The committee made several recommendations, including:

• A policy of very clear handover procedures when there's staff turnover within the housing team.
• Ensuring that complaints feature in KPIs¹.
• That performance monitoring should also be going to the other committee.
• That any phone call with a resident should have a written record of it sent to the resident.

Budget Update - Medium Term Financial Strategy

The committee received an update on Brent's financial position, including the 2025/26 financial outturn, the Q1 financial forecast for 2025/26, and the medium-term financial outlook.

Minesh Patel, Corporate Director – Finance and Resources, noted that the government's approach to the spending review and the fair funding review was a key consideration. He explained that the government had not provided a model for assessing the impact of the fair funding review, making it difficult to predict the financial implications for Brent.

Councillor Molloy noted some glimmers of hope in the reports, including trending housing needs down, a reduced DSG overspend, and a reduced overspend in supported exempt accommodation.

Councillor Long asked about the impact of consolidated grants on the council's future budgets. Mr Patel explained that while it was difficult to say exactly what the impact would be, having grants within one settlement would allow the council to make its own decisions about how to spend the money.

Councillor Kennelly asked about plans to engage residents, businesses, and other stakeholders ahead of the 2026/27 budget, given the potential impact of the fair funding review. Mr Patel said that the council would need to translate complicated issues into terms that people understand, and that early engagement with stakeholders would be important.

Councillor Molloy asked whether the restructuring of central government funding streams was devolving power to the local authority with less ring fencing. Mr Patel confirmed that this was a fair read.

Councillor Long asked where all the Section 106² money that had been collected and unspent was, and why it didn't appear in the accounts. Mr Patel explained that Section 106 money was ring-fenced for specific items, and that it was used to reduce the council's exposure to interest costs.

Councillor Long asked about the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), and what plans there were to use the surplus. Mr Patel said that the surplus would allow the council to increase the operating reserve and plan for longer-term housing improvements.

Councillor Kennelly asked why Brent had the largest amount of council tax arrears, and what was being done to address this. Mr Patel said that the council's collection rates weren't good enough, and that more resources needed to be directed towards chasing debt from people who should be paying.

The committee made several recommendations, including:

• That finance reports need to have the Section 106 money featured in them from now on.
• That the council should have the freedom to use the Section 106 money as it wished.

Scrutiny Progress Update - Recommendations Tracker

The committee reviewed the scrutiny recommendations tracker, noting the progress of previous recommendations, suggestions for improvement, and information requests.

Resources & Public Realm Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2025/26

The committee agreed its work programme for 2025/26, which includes items such as:

• Local Plan Review
• Social Value Policy
• Procurement Strategy
• Community Engagement and Consultation
• Littering and Fly Tipping

The committee also noted that it would lead two task group reviews during the year:

• Kerbside Management Scrutiny Task Group
• Budget Scrutiny Task Group