The Residents' Services Select Committee was scheduled to discuss community cohesion and the work of the Safer Hillingdon Partnership. The committee was also set to review enforcement activities related to Public Spaces Protection Orders and street trading, alongside budget monitoring reports and the Cabinet's forward plan.

Community Cohesion

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on activities undertaken to build stronger communities and promote community cohesion in Hillingdon. This included work to address challenges arising from national and global events, a rise in hate crime, and the influence of extremism. The report was also set to outline the work carried out in relation to the government's Prevent duty, as mandated by the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015. The Prevent duty aims to stop individuals from becoming involved in terrorism or supporting terrorism. The report highlighted the evolving threat landscape, including the rise of right-wing extremism, incel ideology, and fascination with extreme violence, as well as the impact of disinformation online. It also detailed Hillingdon's specific context, including its diverse population and the impact of economic pressures. The council's approach involves managing and coordinating a partnership approach to building stronger communities, leading on the Prevent duty, supporting the voluntary sector, and monitoring community tensions. Specific projects funded through the Community Cohesion Resilience Programme were detailed, including work with organisations such as REAP (Refugees in Effective and Active Partnership) and Bell Farm Christian Centre to support asylum seekers and refugees, the Hillingdon LGBT+ Network, Hillingdon Women's Centre, and the Hillingdon Inter Faith Community network. The report also detailed ongoing work with the Police and local communities to manage and respond to community tensions, particularly in light of global conflicts and increased anti-immigrant sentiment.

Safer Hillingdon Partnership

The committee was scheduled to receive reports from the Metropolitan Police Service and the London Fire Brigade, as well as an update on the work of the Safer Hillingdon Partnership. This partnership is the statutory community safety partnership for the borough. The report detailed the development and adoption of the Community Safety Strategy for Hillingdon, which sets out priorities and partnership arrangements for reducing crime, disorder, and anti-social behaviour. A strategic assessment and public consultation informed the strategy, which was adopted by Full Council on 26 February 2026. A partnership delivery plan has been developed to implement the strategy's priorities, with progress monitored quarterly by the Safer Hillingdon Partnership. The report also highlighted the use of data and insight to inform decision-making, including a data product that triangulates datasets from various partner agencies.

The London Fire Brigade's report detailed their community risk management plan, which includes prevention work such as visits to vulnerable individuals, schools, and attendance at local events. The Borough Risk Management Plan ensures a bespoke community safety strategy is developed and applied across Hillingdon. The report also mentioned the active Fire Cadet programme and the annual Junior Citizens event, which provides safety advice to Year 6 pupils. The Brigade's data team supplies data to the GLA for the SafeStats platform, and they actively support Hillingdon Council's strategies, including those related to domestic abuse and violence against women and girls. The Metropolitan Police Service's report provided an update on crime and community safety in the borough, summarising performance on neighbourhood crime, serious violence, and violence against women and girls (VAWG). It noted increases in theft from the person and theft of motor vehicles, while residential burglary and interfering with motor vehicles had decreased. Serious violence, including violence with injury, showed an increase year-to-date, as did VAWG-flagged offences. The report also detailed Stop and Search figures, with a 38.8% positive outcome rate.

Enforcement of Public Spaces Protection Orders, Street Trading & Fixed Penalty Notices

This agenda item was scheduled to provide information on the council's responsibilities regarding Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs), street trading licensing, and the use of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs). The report was to offer an overview of activity, trends, and enforcement cases. The council enforces PSPOs under Part 4 of the Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, with Hillingdon's orders including those for Parks & Public Places and Private Hire Vehicle & Taxi. Illegal street trading is enforced under Part 3 of the London Local Authorities Act 1990. The report detailed enforcement activity, including patrols targeting specific behaviours and the issuing of warnings, FPNs, and prosecutions. It also provided an overview of street trading licences, including shop front licences and pitches, and noted that pavement licences are authorised under the Business & Planning Act 2020. The report included data on the number of FPNs issued for various offences, with a significant portion relating to the Public Spaces Protection Order for Private Hire Vehicles in resident areas. Income generated from FPNs was also detailed, showing seasonal trends. Case studies were included to illustrate enforcement actions related to street trading applications and licensed pitches. The report also outlined challenges in delivering visible and proportionate enforcement, and opportunities for improvement, including targeted enforcement campaigns and technology enhancements.

Budget and Spend Report

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the Month 9 budget monitoring position for the council and for services within the remit of the Residents' Services Select Committee. The report indicated that the council was forecasting a net overspend of £35.9m on its core operating activities. This included overspends across service operating budgets, pressures against the budgeted use of reserves, and pressures across centralised and corporate budgets. These were partially mitigated by interventions such as spend control measures and increased grants. The report detailed the savings requirement for 2025/26 and the progress made in achieving these savings, with a significant portion identified as banked or on track, while others faced challenges or were considered undeliverable. For the services within the committee's remit, a projected overspend of £6.9m was forecast, with movements across different directorates. The Homes and Communities directorate was projecting a significant overspend, primarily due to higher-than-expected demand for homelessness support. The report also provided a detailed breakdown of the budget monitoring position by service area and directorate, including savings targets and their delivery status. The Housing Revenue Account (HRA) was forecasting a breakeven position, with ongoing market and demand risks being monitored.

Forward Plan

The committee was scheduled to review the Cabinet's latest Forward Plan, which outlines key decisions and other decisions to be taken by the Cabinet and Cabinet Members over the coming year. The report detailed the actions available to the committee in monitoring the plan, including providing comments on items within its remit, requesting further information, and potentially reviewing decisions post-implementation. The Forward Plan itself, published monthly, provides public notice of future key decisions. The report highlighted the constitutional and statutory requirement for Select Committees to comment on draft budget and policy framework proposals. Specific items from the March 2026 Cabinet Forward Plan relevant to the committee's remit were listed, including decisions on rough sleeper prevention and recovery services, the Local Plan scoping consultation, extensions to temporary accommodation contracts, the HRA Business Plan, and the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy.

Work Programme

The committee was scheduled to review its Work Programme for the current municipal year, noting future meeting dates and planning its work. The report listed forthcoming meeting dates and details of past site visits undertaken by committee members. The role of Select Committees in making recommendations on service changes and improvements to the Cabinet was reiterated, with the aim of engaging residents in policy development and improving council services. The multi-year work programme outlined planned reviews and ongoing monitoring activities, including service and performance monitoring, budget and spend reports, and specific one-off information items. Topics scheduled for discussion included the CCTV service, the Community Payback Scheme, environmental protection services, the review of the Statement of Gambling Policy, sport for young people, parking enforcement, the condition of allotments, and various policy framework documents such as the West London Waste Plan and the Housing Strategy.