The Inclusive Economy and Culture Scrutiny Panel met on 8 January 2026 to review the Greenwich Supports Strategy and the performance of Welfare Rights and Advice Provision. The panel also noted upcoming reports for future meetings.

Greenwich Supports Strategy

The panel considered a report on the Greenwich Supports Strategy, which aims to reduce and prevent poverty across the borough. The strategy focuses on designing and testing a multidisciplinary team to provide wraparound support, growing community power, reviewing relevant policy, and lobbying for change. The pilot service, also named Greenwich Supports, is six months into its nine-month trial and involves a team of advisors offering support in areas such as debt advice, benefits advice, housing advice, and employment support. The report highlighted positive feedback from residents, with one stating, Greenwich Supports has saved my life. Challenges identified include the slower activation of the growing community power workstream and the significant effort required to scale and embed the new ways of working across the council. The panel was asked to make recommendations to the Executive regarding the strategy.

Performance Review for Welfare Rights and Advice Provision

A review of the performance of the Welfare Rights and Advice teams was presented, highlighting consistently high demand for services throughout 2024/25, exacerbated by the ongoing Universal Credit managed migration process. The Welfare Rights Service and Universal Support Team handled over 4,000 cases, generating nearly £10 million in financial gains for residents. The Money Advice Team, which provides intensive support for household finances, opened 712 cases and advised on over £2 million in debts. The Advice Hubs Programme, now in its third year, saw 2,670 residents attend weekly and roaming hubs, connecting them with various advice services. The Emergency Support Scheme experienced high demand, with 6,298 applications and an expenditure of over £700,000, primarily for community awards (furniture and white goods). The Household Support Fund continued to provide significant funding for free school meals during holidays, targeted cash payments, and support for the Emergency Support Scheme and Welfare Rights Service. Challenges include the high and increasing complexity of demand, leading to a backlog of cases, and the need for sensitive handling of applications, with officers sometimes facing verbal abuse. The service is undertaking a review of its offer and operating model. The panel was asked to make recommendations to the Executive regarding this provision.

Commissioning of Future Reports

The panel noted the work items scheduled for the meeting on 19 February 2026. These include a joint meeting with the Children and Young People's Scrutiny Panel to review the Post 16 Skills Strategy and Action Plan, an update on the Culture Strategy's progress, and a progress update on the Connect to Work Programme and Economic Inactivity Trailblazer programmes. The panel was asked to consider the scope of these forthcoming reports and specify any detailed requirements.