The Islington Council Executive met to discuss a range of issues, including the borough's budget, fees and charges, and strategies for youth safety and community support. The Executive approved a new Youth Safety Strategy for 2025-2030, a Discretionary Rate Relief programme for 2026-2029, and a response to the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee's review of school attendance. They also agreed to open a new period for Discretionary Rate Relief, but stipulated that all organisations, even those previously awarded relief, must reapply.

General Fund Fees and Charges 2026/27

The Executive approved the council's fees and charges for 2026/27, as detailed in Appendix A1_General Fund Fees and Charges. This included delegating authority to the Corporate Director for Resources to make minor adjustments to fees and charges in consultation with the relevant Executive Member and Directors. They also delegated authority to the Corporate Director of Homes and Neighbourhoods to approve the final ICCS fees and charges¹ on behalf of Islington Council.

Councillor Flora Williamson, Executive Member for Finance and Performance, presented the report, noting that the council is legally obliged to set a balanced budget each year. The Fees and Charges Policy ensures that the council can maximise income generation from services, where appropriate, to offset the impact on council tax payers.

A question was raised by a councillor about the feasibility of reviewing the new additional charge of £150 for burials which are 20 minutes late. The Executive agreed that a response would be forwarded to the councillor on this matter.

Islington's Youth Safety Strategy 2025 - 2030

The Executive approved Islington's Youth Safety Strategy for 2025-2030, a plan designed to address and prevent youth violence in the borough. The strategy, detailed in the Islington Youth Safety Strategy v3, aims to create a safer environment for young people through various interventions and support systems.

Councillor Michelline Safi-Ngongo, Executive Member for Children, Young People & Families, highlighted the importance of the strategy, emphasising the collaborative effort between the council, community organisations, and young people themselves. The strategy includes measures to address the root causes of youth violence, provide early intervention and support, and create opportunities for young people to thrive.

The Executive also agreed to further develop the visual presentation of the strategy ahead of publication and authorised the Corporate Director – Children and Young People to approve a final version of the strategy following consultation with the Executive Member for Children, Young People and Families.

The Executive expressed their thanks to the young people involved, Children’s Services officers, and other contributors to the Strategy.

Discretionary Rate Relief 2026-2029

The Executive agreed to open a new Discretionary Rate Relief (DRR) programme for 2026 – 2029, as outlined in the Discretionary Rate Relief Executive 27.11.2025 report.

While this is a new programme, all organisations must reapply, regardless of any previous awards. The existing DRR policy remains unchanged and will continue to apply throughout the programme.

The council committed to foregoing up to £410,000 per year in income from business rates² to support independent charities, voluntary and community sector organisations, and other not-for-profit organisations. This enables the council to leverage an additional £1.376m of relief into the borough.

The Executive agreed to continue the delegation for award decisions to be taken by the Corporate Director for Health and Social Care, following consultation with the Executive Member for Equalities, Communities and Inclusion, for the duration of the programme, or until the agreed foregone income levels are reached.

Executive response to the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee - Attendance Review

The Executive approved the implementation of the twelve recommendations made by the Children & Young People Scrutiny Committee following its deep dive into persistent absence at secondary age, as detailed in the Response to Scrutiny Recommendations Attendance report. They also approved the procedures and actions outlined in the responses to each recommendation and delegated authority to the relevant Corporate Director to oversee implementation and ongoing review of these recommendations.

Islington Together Change Approach

The Executive endorsed the way forward set out in the Islington Together Change Paper and noted the policy approaches and programmes of change for the council outlined within it. They agreed a resource envelope and funding strategy of up to £3 million for use over four years to enhance the council capability to deliver change and financial savings with allocation to be delegated to the Section 151 Officer³ in consultation with the Executive Member for Finance and Performance.

Information was requested by a councillor on the reference to “virtual family hubs” in paragraph 6.4 of the report, and the Executive agreed that this would be provided.

Response to report of Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny - Adult Social Care accommodation

The Executive welcomed the findings of the Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee Review of Adult Social Care Accommodation. They agreed the Executive responses to the recommendations of the Scrutiny Review, as set out in section 4 of the Response to Scrutiny Review of ASC Accommodation report. Officers will report back on progress to the Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee at a time agreed with the Scrutiny Committee.

Gypsy and Traveller Local Plan Review

The Executive agreed to consult on the draft Gypsy and Traveller Local Plan review – Sites and Policies, as detailed in Appendix 1 Draft Gypsy and Traveller Local Plan Sites and Policies. The plan identifies potential sites for Gypsy and Traveller communities within the borough.

The Executive noted the consultation responses to the previous consultations summarised in section 7 of the Gypsy and Traveller Local Plan Review, with further detail on how these responses have been taken into account provided in Appendix 2 Consultation Report. They also noted the draft Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA)⁴, which assesses sustainability and equalities impacts of the draft plan in Appendix 3 Integrated Impact Assessment.

The Corporate Director of Community Wealth Building is authorised to approve any further changes to the draft Gypsy and Traveller Local Plan review – Sites and Policies for a further six weeks formal statutory consultation (Regulation 19 stage) in summer 2026. Following the formal statutory consultation (Regulation 19 stage) next summer, the draft Gypsy and Traveller Local Plan will be approved by Executive then Full Council for submission to the Planning Inspectorate for Independent Examination. The deadline for submission is December 2026.

The Executive expressed their thanks to staff in Planning Services for their work on this project.

Budget monitoring 2025/2026 - Q2

The Executive noted the General Fund (GF) forecast underspend of -£0.496m as at Q2, shown in Table 1 of the 2025-26 - Q2 Budget Monitoring Report_Exec and detailed in Appendix 12025-26GF Revenue Monitoring Q2. They also noted progress on delivering the 2025/26 agreed budget savings in Table 2 and Appendix1C2025-26_GF Savings Virements Q2.

The Executive approved the revenue budget virements⁵ and other budget adjustments as outlined in paragraph 3.9 of Appendix 12025-26GF Revenue Monitoring Q2 and detailed in Appendix1C2025-26_GF Savings Virements Q2. They noted, and where necessary, agreed to debt write-offs outlined in paragraph 3.10 of Appendix 12025-26GF Revenue Monitoring Q2.

The Housing Revenue Account (HRA) forecast overspend of +£2.477m as at Q2, shown in Appendix22025-26_HRA Monitoring Q2 was noted.

The Executive approved the receipt of Flood Ready London funding to enable Islington to formally undertake the role of interim administrator as set out in paragraph 3.24 of this report and delegated to the Section 151 Officer the responsibility to approve the necessary transactions and arrangements to receive and then subsequently distribute funding required as part of the partnerships for Flood Ready London.

Quarterly Capital Budget Monitoring Report, Quarter 2 2025/26

The Executive noted the forecast capital outturn of £224.213m in 2025/26 (Appendix 1 - 2025-26 Capital Programme) and the revised multi-year capital programme and how it will be financed (Appendix 2 - Approved and Indicative Capital Programme). They noted the requested capital reprofiling with future financial years and budget adjustments approved by the Section 151 Officer.

The Executive approved the capital additions and reductions detailed in paragraphs 3.32 to 3.38 of the Quarterly Capital Budget Monitoring Report Quarter 2 2025-26 and noted the forecast expenditure and receipts for housing general fund revenue expenditure funded by capital under statute (Appendix 3 - Housing General REFCUS).

Progress report on the scrutiny review of the Active Travel Programme

The Executive noted the progress made on each of the recommendations made by the Environment and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 25 January 2024, as detailed in the Progress Report on Scrutiny Review of Active Travel. The Executive expressed their thanks to all involved in this work.