The Scrutiny Streets & Environment Sub-Committee of Croydon Council met on Tuesday 27 January 2026 to discuss the Period 7 Financial Performance Report, the Budget Scrutiny Challenge, and the draft Electric Vehicle Charging Point (EVCP) Strategy. The committee noted an overall forecast underspend of £600,000 for the Sustainable Communities, Regeneration & Economic Recovery directorate, and discussed proposals for increased parking income and digital transformation within planning and building control services. Significant time was dedicated to the draft EVCP Strategy, with councillors raising concerns and making recommendations regarding the equitable rollout of charging infrastructure, particularly for residents without off-street parking.

Period 7 Financial Performance Report

The committee reviewed the Period 7 Financial Performance Report for the 2025-26 financial year. Venetia Reid-Baptiste, Corporate Director for Sustainable Communities, Regeneration & Economic Recovery, reported that the directorate was forecasting an overall net underspend of £600,000, an improvement of £200,000 from the previous period. This was attributed to additional income in community safety and an underspend in planning and regeneration, partially offset by a facilities management cost overspend. A significant portion of the underspend (£400,000) was due to overachievement in parking income as part of the council's stabilisation plan.

During the discussion on planning services, Mark Baigent, Interim Director for Planning and Sustainable Regeneration, addressed concerns about staff vacancies. He explained that five planner positions and two and a half technical support posts were being kept vacant as a conscious decision to manage the budget, given a downturn in planning applications and associated fee income. Similarly, eight vacancies in the building control team were being held to balance fee income against workload. Baigent stated that this situation was similar to the previous year, reflecting a long-term downturn in the construction market. He assured the committee that despite vacancies, performance indicators for processing planning applications remained good, although planning enforcement was identified as an area of pressure. The committee commended the improved financial performance and the £600,000 underspend.

Budget Scrutiny Challenge

Councillor Scott Roche, Cabinet Member for Streets and Environment, introduced the Budget Scrutiny Challenge, focusing on two key proposals for the 2026-27 budget: increased parking income and the digital transformation of planning, building control, and regulatory services.

Increased Parking Income and IT System Improvements

Charles Baker, Head of Environment and Neighbourhood Operations, presented proposals for increased parking income and savings from IT system improvements. This included £1 million generated from London Councils' uplift of penalty charge notice (PCN) fees and a £150,000 savings target linked to modernising outdated parking IT systems. A new, integrated PCN processing system is being procured to replace a legacy platform from 2010, aiming to improve efficiencies, customer experience, and recovery rates. The new system is expected to generate around £600,000 annually in benefits, with running costs of £300,000 and implementation costs of £150,000 in the first year.

The committee raised questions about the integration of printers with the new system and how specific costs and savings were quantified before procurement. Officers explained that the procurement process was well underway, with a completed specification subject to market testing. They assured the committee that the new system would integrate with existing council systems, including RingGo, and that residents would not experience frontend changes. Concerns were raised about potential integration risks, data migration, and cybersecurity. The council is insisting on suppliers meeting the ISO/IEC 27001 standard for data management and cybersecurity. The projected savings are dependent on increasing the PCN recovery rate from 54% to the London average of 70%.

Digital Transformation of Planning, Building Control, and Regulatory Services

This proposal focuses on upgrading the Uniform case management system to generate additional income through increased fee levels, higher service volumes, and stronger commercial engagement with developers, supported by government changes to planning fee setting. While the Uniform system contract runs until October 2026, an upgrade is imminent. The approach has shifted from administrative savings to income generation, with a commercial manager already marketing Building Control services to increase market share. The council is also exploring the use of AI tools for application validation and enforcement case prioritisation. The potential for locally set planning fees, dependent on government regulations, was also discussed. The committee noted that savings targets for this initiative have been moved to 2028-29 to allow for thorough testing and development.

Electric Vehicle Charging Point (EVCP) Strategy

Fred Raphael, Head of Strategic Transport, presented the draft Electric Vehicle Charging Point (EVCP) Strategy. The strategy aims to deliver a borough-wide, accessible, and equitable EV charging network, supporting the transition to low-emission vehicles and aligning with the council's climate commitments. Transport emissions in Croydon are higher than the London average, making this strategy crucial.

The current provision includes 133 public EV charging point units, with 20 more to be installed by March 2026. A significant challenge is that 49% of Croydon households lack off-street parking, and of those, 57% are within a five-minute walk of a public EVCP. The strategy proposes a blended model for EVCP rollout, aiming for 4,200 by 2035, and includes a pilot for approximately 10 Cross Pavement Solutions (CPS) for disabled drivers, funded by £193,000 in grant funding.

The committee raised numerous concerns regarding CPS, including safety, maintenance, liability, and the potential impact on street scenes. They questioned whether a pilot focused solely on disabled bays would provide sufficient data, given the reduced competition for these spaces compared to general parking. Recommendations were made to ensure widespread consultation with disability and accessibility groups, EV owners, and manufacturer associations, and to consider community charging hubs. The council committed to reviewing the pilot to ensure adequate data collection and to formalise CPS into a policy if deemed viable. The strategy also aims to address pricing, ensuring it is equitable and competitive, and will be reviewed annually due to the rapidly evolving technology.

Cabinet Response to Scrutiny Recommendations

The committee noted the Cabinet's responses to previous scrutiny recommendations, finding them largely positive with recommendations either accepted or partially accepted.

Scrutiny Work Programme 2025-2026

The committee reviewed its draft work programme for the 2025-26 municipal year. They noted the existing items, including the Budget Scrutiny Challenge and the EVCP Strategy, and considered potential additions. The committee also discussed the importance of ensuring that the work programme remained manageable, with a suggestion that no more than two substantive items be scheduled per meeting to allow for effective scrutiny.