The Executive, Resources and Contracts Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee met on 15 September 2025, to discuss a range of issues including budget monitoring, treasury management, and contract performance. The committee supported recommendations for capital programme monitoring and treasury management, and requested further information on financial sustainability of the Our Bromley magazine, property risks, and contracts.

Here's a breakdown of the key discussion points:

• Questions from Councillors and Public:

  A question was raised regarding the difficulty in speaking to a person at the council to report an issue, to which Councillor Christopher Marlow, Portfolio Holder for Resources, Commissioning and Contract Management, responded that the virtual assistant was in place to minimise wait times and support those able to use self-service options, while customer service staff were available to assist vulnerable residents or those with complex queries. The Chairman, Councillor Simon Fawthrop, noted that ward councillors could also provide support. Supplementary questions were raised about strong accents struggling with the system, the frequency of service quality reviews, and the number of complaints about voice bots. Councillor David Cartwright QFSM stated that he had not received complaints from residents. The questions and replies were to be appended to the minutes of the previous meeting subject to legal advice.

• Matters Outstanding and Work Programme:

  The committee noted the report and agreed that responses to questions about a late report would be appended to the minutes of the 23 June 2025 meeting, subject to legal advice.

• Forward Plan of Key Decisions:

  The committee noted the forward plan and requested a written update on the Churchill Court Letting Strategy. They were also told that there would be a report back on the RAAC[^2] review. [^2]: Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) is a type of lightweight concrete that was used in construction in the UK from the 1950s to the 1990s. It is now known to be at risk of collapse.

• Capital Programme Monitoring - Quarter 1 2025/26:

  The committee supported the recommendations of the Capital Programme Monitoring report.

• Treasury Management - Quarter 1 Performance 2025/26:

  The committee supported the recommendations of the Treasury Management report. Members noted the poor returns from the CCLA[^3] and multi-asset income funds and suggested that consideration be given to reviewing the approach. The Director of Finance confirmed that a meeting with the Fund Managers had been arranged for October 2025, and that a wider review would be undertaken considering the outcome of the 2026/27 budget and its impact on revenue reserves. [^3]: CCLA Investment Management Limited, is an investment management company that specialises in managing investments for charities, religious organisations and the public sector.

• Budget Monitoring 2025/26:

  The committee supported the recommendations of the Budget Monitoring report. Members raised concerns about the financial sustainability of the Our Bromley magazine and requested further details on steps to ensure its financial viability. The committee discussed the overspend in Adult Social Care, noting increased client numbers and rising unit costs, and stressed the need to monitor and reduce growth and cost pressures.

• Capital Programme Monitoring - Quarter 1 2025/26:

  The committee supported the recommendations of the Capital Programme Monitoring report. A member expressed concern about the sum coming out of the Capital Programme in respect of affordable housing, and the Director of Finance clarified that the funds were currently unallocated and that new schemes would be funded through borrowing.

• Transforming Bromley 2024-29 Programme Update 2025/26:

  The committee supported the recommendations of the Transforming Bromley Programme Update. The Chairman suggested that future reports include a tabular format for savings delivered and banked. The committee discussed the use of AI and the risk of using AI, and the Chief Transformation Officer confirmed that an internal policy for the use of AI had been developed and that Copilot (with limited functionality) had been deployed to all staff.

• Letting and Sale of Property at Tilgate Business Park, Crawley:

  The committee recommended an amendment to recommendation 2.2 of the report, delegating authority to the Director of Housing, Planning, Property and Regeneration in agreement with the Portfolio Holder for Resources, Commissioning and Contracts Management and the Director of Finance to negotiate and settle commercial terms of the disposal. Members expressed surprise that more robust measures to secure the property had not been taken and it was suggested that an internal investigation or audit should be conducted to identify how this situation had arisen. With respect to the insurance aspect, Members expressed concerns around the lack of insurance and the Committee requested that future Insurance reports presented to the Committee provide details of the risks around properties owned by the Council, both operational and vacant.

• Benefits Service Monitoring Report:

  The committee agreed that future Benefits Service Monitoring Reports, Revenues Service Monitoring Reports and Exchequer Services Monitoring Reports should be amalgamated into one overarching report. The Assistant Director for Exchequer Services confirmed that the Council made provision for bad debt every year and that a process of checking and writing off debt was followed after a comprehensive recovery process.

• Revenues Service Monitoring Report:

  The committee noted the report. The Chairman highlighted that any policy decision in relation to empty properties was a matter for the Executive, in consultation with the Executive, Resources and Contracts PDS Committee.

• Exchequer Service - Contract Performance Report:

  The committee noted the report and welcomed the increase in the arrears recovered.

• Customer Services Contract Monitoring Report:

  The committee noted the report and requested that future reports provide data relating to calls that were not successfully handled. Members raised concerns around the high abandonment rate, highlighting that there needed to be a safety net for those who struggled to use the system.

• Expenditure on Consultants and Contractors:

  The committee noted the report and requested further information concerning the work carried out by Bellgrove and Montague Evans, as well as a category breakdown of court-appointed assessments. A member asked if future reports could list contracts by provider to enable members to readily identify the top 10 providers in terms of cost.

• Risk Management:

  The committee noted the report and the Director of Finance agreed to speak with the Property Division to ensure that all risks around properties were reflected in the Risk Register.

• Corporate Contract Register:

  The committee noted the Part 1 Contracts Register.

• Exempt Items:

  The committee agreed the Part 2 (exempt) minutes of the meeting held on 23 June 2025 and supported the recommendations for the exempt reports, including the Capital Programme Monitoring - Quarter 1 2025/26 Appendix and the Letting and Sale of Property at Tilgate Business Park, Crawley.

Councillor Simon Fawthrop, Chairman of the Executive, Resources and Contracts PDS Committee, closed the meeting at 9.57 pm.