The Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Merton Council met on Wednesday 21 January 2026 to consider a call-in regarding the Fees and Charges Review and Approval decision made by the Cabinet on 15 December 2025. The committee decided not to refer the decision back to Cabinet for reconsideration, meaning the Cabinet's original decision on fees and charges would take effect immediately.

Call-in of Fees and Charges Review and Approval

The committee considered a call-in request concerning the Cabinet's decision on the Fees and Charges Review and Approval for 2026/27. The call-in was initiated by Councillors Anthony Fairclough, Matthew Willis, and Victoria Wilson, who raised concerns about a suspected breach of Merton's Constitution regarding the principles of decision-making, specifically relating to respect for human rights and equalities. They argued that there was insufficient evidence that the Cabinet had considered the potential impact of the fee increases on individuals with protected characteristics or that an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) had been properly conducted and considered.

Officers responded to these concerns, acknowledging that while specific EIAs were not explicitly detailed in the Cabinet report, discussions had taken place with Cabinet members regarding potential impacts. They presented an overarching council-wide EIA, which they stated would be appended to future reports to provide assurance on the consideration of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). Officers confirmed that no potential for adverse impact on protected characteristics had been identified and that opportunities to promote equality were being addressed. They also highlighted that many fees and charges are statutorily set or relate to discretionary services where cost recovery is a key principle, and that these decisions are balanced against financial and market considerations.

The committee was presented with a table detailing proposed changes to fees and charges across 32 service areas, categorised by whether they were increasing in line with inflation, above inflation, introducing new fees, or remaining unchanged. The majority of services proposed an inflationary increase to ensure cost recovery.

Following the officer response and discussion, the committee resolved not to refer the decision back to Cabinet for reconsideration. This means the Cabinet's decision on the Fees and Charges Review and Approval for 2026/27 would take effect immediately.