The Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Newham Council met on Tuesday 16 September 2025 to review the council's progress on its Building a Fairer Newham strategy and the Transforming Newham for the Future programme. Key discussions focused on the council's financial performance, transformation initiatives, and the ongoing challenges and achievements across various service areas, including housing, youth services, and resident experience. The committee also approved the scrutiny work programme for the upcoming year and noted forthcoming key decisions.

Transformation Progress

The committee received an update on the Transforming Newham for the Future (TNFF) programme, which aims to make more services available online, join up services to better support residents, and create a leaner, more efficient council. Ravi Dhindsa, Director of Transformation, presented the progress made since May 2025, highlighting that 13 out of 23 projects are now in the delivery stage. Significant advancements have been made in digital transformation, with the introduction of Chatbot and Live Chat services, which have already reduced inbound call volumes by 62% in August compared to the previous year. New digital journeys are being launched to make more services available online 24/7. The programme is also focusing on improving employee experience through new tools like Magic Notes, which is reportedly saving frontline staff approximately one day per week in administration time.

However, the report also detailed challenges in financial forecasting and savings realisation. Initial savings targets identified by PwC have been re-baselined due to data accuracy issues, leading to a projected £18 million in three-year savings instead of the initial £23 million target. A £2 million gap remains, prompting the need to explore initiatives beyond those initially identified by PwC. The committee was informed that the current forecast for 2025/26 savings stands at £3.622 million, a reduction from the previous forecast of £5.057 million, with £0.700 million slipping into the next financial year and £0.735 million deemed non-deliverable. The report also noted a potential double-counting issue between the Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) and the TNFF programme, which could affect savings in 2026/27 and 2027/28.

Building a Fairer Newham - Organisational Performance

The committee reviewed the Building a Fairer Newham (BaFN) Integrated Performance Report for 2024/25, which outlines progress against the council's strategic priorities. Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz OBE and Councillor Rita Chadha, Cabinet Member for Transformation, provided an introduction, highlighting achievements in education, with Year 6 pupils ranking fourth nationally, and the success of the Eat for Free programme. They also acknowledged areas of concern, including failings in the Housing Service identified by the Regulator of Social Housing¹ and rising knife crime.

Key performance indicators (KPIs) were discussed across several priority areas:

• A Healthier Newham and Ageing Well: Achievements include the launch of the 50 Steps Healthier Newham Strategy 2024-27 and the Trusted Assessor Initiative winning an LGC Award. However, challenges remain in implementing the Adult Social Care Practice Improvement Board Work plans and addressing the increase in rough sleeping numbers.
• Newham's Inclusive Economy: The council met its target of getting 1,000 residents into jobs through Our Newham Work. However, the number of businesses signed up to the Community Wealth Building Pledge has remained static. The processing of major planning applications saw a decrease in timeliness compared to the previous year, although it still met the statutory target.
• Your Neighbourhood: Newham's Public Realm team received a Keep Britain Tidy national award for street cleanliness. However, the percentage of sites inspected below the accepted standard for fly-tipping increased. Missed domestic refuse collections also saw a significant dip in performance following a service change, though it has since improved. Electrical charging point installations fell short of the target, but an accelerated programme is planned.
• Safer Newham: The council has seen an increase in knife crime, mirroring national trends, and is implementing various initiatives to address this. Hate crime offences and domestic violence offences have decreased.
• Homes for our Residents: Significant progress has been made in delivering affordable homes, with 826 delivered by March 2025. However, the number of households in temporary accommodation continues to increase. The council is addressing serious failings identified by the Regulator of Social Housing, with investments in fire safety and the Decent Homes Programme. Repairs completed right first time has improved but still requires further attention.
• Supporting Our Young People: Educational achievements remain high, with Year 6 pupils ranking fourth nationally. Improvements have been made in social care, and care experience is now recognised as a protected characteristic. However, sustained pressure on SEND services continues, with a significant challenge in issuing EHCPs within the statutory 20-week timeframe, although recent performance has improved. Secondary school exclusions have returned to pre-Covid levels.
• People Powered Newham (including Resident Experience): Over 6,000 residents engaged in participatory forums, exceeding the target. However, satisfaction with repairs and call answering rates for the corporate contact centre and the council tax and benefits centre fell short of targets.

Work Programme

The committee approved the 2025/26 Annual Scrutiny Work Programme and agreed to establish a Budget Scrutiny In-Year Working Party. The work programme includes reviews of grants funding, transformation progress, and organisational performance. Items scheduled for future meetings include a review of the Building a Fairer Newham strategy, grants funding, and transformation updates.

Appointments

The committee approved all appointments to Scrutiny Commissions and Working Parties, including the appointment of Councillor Anthony McAlmont as Chair of the Relationship Between Black Boys and the Borough Scrutiny Commission. Paul Leslie was confirmed as a co-opted member of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Forward Plan of Key Decisions

The committee reviewed and noted the published Forward Plan of Key Decisions.

Scrutiny Chairs' Updates

Oral updates were received from the Chairs of the Scrutiny Commissions, highlighting priorities such as SEND transport, school budgets, accommodation for care leavers, CQC inspection outcomes, mental health provision, and hospital discharge.