The Resources and Corporate Performance Scrutiny Committee are scheduled to meet on 11 November 2025, to discuss the procurement strategy for temporary agency workers, and to review the Fair Funding Review 2.0. They will also be considering their work programme for the coming year.

Procurement Strategy and Award for Temporary Agency Worker Contract

The committee will be asked to consider a report outlining the proposed procurement approach and contract award for temporary agency workers. The council is looking to re-procure the Temporary Agency Worker Contract, which provides temporary staffing via a Neutral Vendor model. The report states that the contract ensures the council has access to a suitably skilled and diverse contingent workforce, delivers value for money, and supports an inclusive local economy.

The proposed contract with Matrix SCM includes the Camden Talent Pool, which enables temporary council roles to be offered directly to residents before being advertised more widely. The report notes that this arrangement is already in place and would continue under the new contract, with further development to increase opportunities for Camden residents.

Following a competitive process by a consortium of London boroughs (the London Collaboration Procurement) through the Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO) Managed Services for Temporary Agency Resources 4 (MSTAR4) framework agreement, Matrix SCM was identified as the highest scoring neutral provider. The report proposes that a new contract be awarded for up to four years. Expenditure under the contract will be demand-led, with actual costs dependent on service needs. The estimated forecast value over the full term has been calculated based on recent usage levels, but with tighter controls already reducing spend, the expectation is that actual expenditure will be significantly lower. The report claims that additional controls put in place this year have already seen spend on agency staff reduce by 12% with a projected saving of £8 million over the next 12 months compared to previous years.

The report is scheduled to be presented to the cabinet because the current agency contract with Matrix SCM ends in February 2026. In line with the council's Contract Standing Orders, cabinet approval is required for both the procurement strategy and the contract award.

The report states that aligning the procurement strategy and the contract award ensures that the cabinet can consider the overall approach alongside the specific contractual decision, avoiding duplication and enabling a smooth transition before the current contract expires in February 2026.

The report also references We Make Camden, the council's joint vision for the borough, and The Way We Work, the council's response to We Make Camden. The report claims that the proposals contribute to these strategies by ensuring access to high-quality work for local residents, supporting inclusive employment, and securing value for money.

The report lists Rebecca Blackmore, Talent Pool and Agency Contract Manager, Wayne Cockerill, Resourcing Manager, Steven Blantz, Category Manager, and Richard Le Donne, Procurement Project Manager as contact officers.

An Equalities Impact Assessment (EQIA) for the MStar4 neutral vendor framework is included in the report pack. A Camden Addendum Equality Impact Assessment EQIA for Agency Contract is also included, which sets out Camden-specific considerations to accompany the London collaboration EQIA completed for the MStar4 neutral vendor framework. The addendum notes that while the framework EQIA addresses the overall model and approach, Camden has additional local initiatives and data that should be noted.

The Fair Funding Review 2.0

The committee will be asked to note a report providing an update on the Fair Funding Review 2.0. The report states that the funding system for local government has long been recognised as being out of date and broken, and that the government has begun making a number of reforms to local government finance, including a shift to multi-year financial settlements from 2026/27 and steps to consolidate the number of grants received by local authorities. The report notes that during the summer of 2025, the government launched a consultation on plans to refresh the methodology for allocating funding to local authorities through the Fair Funding Review 2.0. The council responded to the consultation and engaged with key stakeholders. In October 2025, the government responded to the consultation and confirmed its plans for distributing funding through the upcoming three-year Local Government Finance Settlement, which is expected in December 2025.

The report considers the process and the council's engagement in it to date, along with the potential implications for Camden over the medium term. The report states that the proposals in the Fair Funding Review are expected to redirect funding away from Inner London Boroughs towards other parts of the country, but that the government has not yet finalised its proposals, and neither the original consultation nor the government's response will confirm the specific funding allocations which Camden will receive. These will be set out as part of the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement in December 2025, which will establish the council's funding position for 2026/27 to 2028/29 and form a critical part of shaping the 2026/27 budget, which will be brought to full council in March 2026.

The report lists Matthew Fox, Strategic Finance Lead - Corporate Strategy as the contact officer.

Work Programme 2025/26

The committee will be asked to consider its work programme for 2025-26 and propose any amendments. The report includes the agenda items for the remainder of the year. The committee is asked to review the contents of the work programme and provide their views on what the committee may wish to discuss during the 2025/26 municipal year.

The report lists Hugh Smith, Head of Corporate Strategy as the contact officer.

The draft work programme included in the RCP Work Programme report November 25 lists the following items:

• 8 December 2025
  • Review of the Camden Medium Term Financial Strategy
  • Council Tax Support 2025/26
  • Annual Report of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Cost of Living
  • London Borough of Camden Annual Complaints Report 2025/2026
  • Housing Improvement Report
• 13 January 2026
  • Debt and Financial Resilience update
  • Insight, Learning and Impact Report - Quarter 2 2025-26
  • AI and the future use of technology in the Council
• 24 February 2026
  • Annual People and Inclusion Service Update
  • 2026/27 Revenue Estimates and Council Tax Setting
  • Treasury Management Strategy 2026/27
  • Community Investment Programme (CIP) – CIP Annual Report 2025

The report also includes an Action Tracker 2025 - October 2025 which lists the status of actions arising from previous meetings.