The Safer Stronger Communities Select Committee met to discuss budget equalities monitoring, resident engagement and consultation, and the committee's work programme. The meeting was also scheduled to include declarations of interest from committee members.

Resident Engagement and Consultation

The committee was scheduled to discuss a review of Lewisham Council's corporate approach to engagement. The review was commissioned by the Mayor of Lewisham at the start of the year, and was intended to provide an understanding of existing engagement and consultation carried out across the council, identify areas of good practice, consider areas of work that could be further developed, and identify any gaps.

The report pack included some draft recommendations informed by the review, that may shape a new engagement framework. The framework would guide the council's strategic approach to community engagement, to support the council to better and more consistently engage with residents, businesses and stakeholders; enabling greater involvement in decision-making; shaping services and helping the council to better understand the issues affecting local people.

The engagement principles that have guided this work are:

Inform: Effective routes to share information about what the council is doing to support residents and communities and why. How this is done – the methods and channels used - depends on the audience, information and any 'call to action'.

Engage: Regularly seeking views or testing ideas with local people and analyse feedback to build a picture of the issues that local people are experiencing and the issues that matter to them.

Consult: Consultation takes a more formal approach of seeking views to shape decisions. Consultation involves a commitment to 'conscientiously consider' what people say and is bound in law. It is like a social contract with the community and has legally-enforceable rules [Consultation Institute, 2019].

Coproduction/co-design: Services are designed WITH and BY the people who use them.

The report pack noted examples of good practice from other councils, including Tower Hamlets Council, Westminster City Council, Southwark Council, Camden Council, North Lincolnshire Council and Bedfordshire Council.

The report pack also noted ongoing engagement work, including the Big Catford Weekender, World Car Free Day, and work with the Disabled People's Commission.

Budget Saving Equalities Monitoring

The committee was scheduled to discuss a report that summarises the process the council carries out to assess the equalities impact of proposed savings. The report also sets out the council's statutory obligations around the consideration of equalities impact, and how the current process meets these obligations.

The report stated that the council has a statutory duty to consider the equalities impact of the decisions it takes, and that this applies to decisions taken around the savings process and budget setting. It also noted that effective decision making around savings, with due regard given to the impact on groups of people sharing protected characteristics, is central to the whole of Lewisham's Corporate Strategy¹.

The report pack stated that the process for consideration of equalities impact during Lewisham Council's budget saving process is extensive, and includes:

• Creation of saving alongside an Equalities Screening.
• Creation of a full EIA if needed.
• Sign off by a Council Director, the Executive Management Team and Cabinet.
• Scrutiny by the relevant Scrutiny Committees.
• Formal approval by Mayor and Cabinet.

Select Committee Work Programme

The committee was scheduled to review its work programme and make any necessary changes. The committee's areas of responsibility include:

• scrutinising the council's statutory crime and disorder function
• reviewing the development of policy in relation to crime and disorder and in particular the borough's community safety plan: the Safer Lewisham Plan
• enhancing the council's ambitions for equality of opportunity within the borough
• community development and the voluntary sector.

The committee was also scheduled to review the forward plan of key decisions and consider whether there are any items that should be considered for scrutiny.

The following items were scheduled for the next meeting:

• Corporate equalities update (inc. single equalities framework and workforce profile)
• Domestic violence and violence against women and girls

The committee's referral on the maintenance of library buildings was considered at Mayor and Cabinet on 22 October 2025 – a response is due at the committee's meeting on 24 February 2026.

Declarations of Interest

Members were asked to declare any personal interest they have in any item on the agenda.