Councillor Marc Francis

Extraordinary Meeting, Overview & Scrutiny Committee - Monday, 30th September, 2024 6.30 p.m.

The Overview & Scrutiny Committee met to consider a call-in of the Cabinet's decision to award new contracts for the provision of domiciliary care services in the borough. Following a lengthy discussion, in which concerns were raised about a lack of transparency in the decision-making process, the Committee ultimately voted to uphold the Cabinet's decision.

Human Resources Committee - Thursday, 26th September, 2024 6.30 p.m.

The committee discussed the high number of interim staff at the council, and the recruitment processes underway for several senior roles. A request to extend the contract of an interim member of staff was approved. Concern was expressed about delays in receiving reports for the meeting and about the level of detail contained within them.

Standards Advisory Committee - Wednesday, 18th September, 2024 6.30 p.m.

The meeting discussed arrangements for dealing with complaints against councillors, the proposed publication of new Local Government Association (LGA) best practice guidance for Standards Committees, and the possible creation of a 'Standards In Public Life' webpage for the Council. The Committee agreed to consider updating its processes for handling complaints and also agreed to provide further information to the LGA about how its Standards Committee operates.

Housing & Regeneration Scrutiny Sub Committee - Monday, 16th September, 2024 6.30 p.m.

The Housing and Regeneration Scrutiny Sub Committee received a number of updates from council officers and representatives from Tower Hamlets Community Housing. A letter will be sent to the Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, requesting he initiate a meeting with the Minister for Housing, the Regulator for Social Housing and local MPs to discuss the performance of Tower Hamlets Community Housing. The committee also noted the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman's reports and recommendations.

Overview & Scrutiny Committee - Tuesday, 10th September, 2024 6.30 p.m.

The meeting discussed the council’s first quarter budget monitoring report and heard a spotlight presentation on business rate risks. It also heard a presentation about the new transport strategy and was asked to consider the local government ombudsman’s decision about a complaint made against the council. Lastly, the committee agreed the final version of its work programme for 2024/25 and were asked to consider this year’s scrutiny annual report, which will be tabled at the next full council meeting.