Agenda item

This report presents the scrutiny recommendations tracker for review by the Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee.

The Chair advised the Committee of several key changes reflected within the Scrutiny Recommendations Tracker and confirmed that the Committee had now received long outstanding information previously requested in relation to I4B and First Wave Housing, as well as the information concerning the Green Skills Centre. The Chair further reported that the Committee had received the update on the Quarter 2 financial forecast, together with the information that the Committee had requested on a previous agenda item concerning the Voluntary Sector in Brent, Social Value and Procurement.

The Chair, however, highlighted that several requests remained outstanding from the Committee’s meeting in February 2025 relating to Commissioning and Procurement, and Community Wealth Building and Social Value. The Chair further explained that a number of items continued to be outstanding from the Voluntary Sector in Brent, and Social Value and Procurement discussions held in November 2025. The Chair expressed concern that there had been significant delays in receiving responses to a number of these matters.

Having introduced the report, the Chair then moved on to invite questions and comments from the Committee in relation to the Scrutiny Recommendation’s Tracker, with the following comments and issues discussed:

• As an initial query, the Chair questioned what the key barriers had been to the Committee receiving requested information in a timely manner and how the department and the Committee might work together more effectively in order to prevent further delays. In offering his apologies for the delays in the Committee’s receipt of the information requested, Rhodri Rowlands (Director of Strategic Commissioning Capacity Building and Engagement) stated that the February 2025 recommendations would be addressed in detail at a later date. Regarding the recommendations from the November 2025 meeting, shared with the department in writing, he explained that had been a misunderstanding of the timeframes and stated that he was not entirely clear which recommendations and information requests remained outstanding at this time. It was highlighted that a number of key initiatives discussed extensively in November 2025, including the Procurement Strategy, the Social Value Policy and the implementation of both, were designed to address the recommendations and areas for improvement.
• Details were sought on which areas of concern were the most significant in relation to the outstanding recommendations identified. In response, Rhodri Rowlands (Director of Strategic Commissioning Capacity Building and Engagement) clarified that the principal concerns related to the February 2025 recommendations. It was stated that the initial delays were attributable to himself and the service and stemmed from an underestimation of the scale of data cleansing and data analysis required to present the information in the format requested by the Committee. Rhodri Rowlands reflected that there were lessons to be learned regarding operational viability and communication at the outset of the information gathering and information sharing process associated with the Committee’s recommendations. It was explained that, in some cases, the service’s systems had not stored data in a format that was readily accessible. Reference was made to updates previously provided to the Committee in February 2025 and in November 2025, which had outlined the Procurement Improvement Programme and the proposals to transition to a new contract management system. It was additionally confirmed that additional capacity had been brought in to support data cleansing, and that these combined factors had caused earlier time estimates to fall short. It was also stated that a full response was anticipated within the next four weeks. It was further reported that spend analysis had been commissioned from the Centre for Local Economic Strategies as part of the Procurement Improvement Programme and the Community Wealth Building work. It was additionally stated that the findings would support the outstanding requirements and that relevant updates would be incorporated into the analysis. In concluding the response, Rhodri Rowlands reiterated that no single factor had caused the delays, but that operational viability at the outset had been the predominant issue.

• Clarification was sought on whether there would be an increase in resourcing within the service, or if the key matter was ensuring clearer communication and more realistic timescales when recommendations were set. In response, Rhodri Rowlands (Director of Strategic Commissioning Capacity Building and Engagement) noted that the previous viability issues had largely been addressed through significant improvements to the data position. It was confirmed that increasing capacity had been a core priority within the procurement improvement work and that additional staff had been brought into the service, including staff dedicated to data analysis and data management. Confidence was expressed that the service would not face the same difficulties in future.

• The Chair emphasised that the Strategic Commissioning Capacity Building and Engagement department was responsible for several highly significant decisions and policies which the Committee viewed as priorities for both the Council and its future direction. The Chair noted that discussions could also occur outside formal meetings regarding how both parties might work together more effectively, particularly during the work planning process after May 2025. In response, Rhodri Rowlands (Director of Strategic Commissioning Capacity Building and Engagement) confirmed his full support for this approach and acknowledged the wider strategic context. It was noted that several requests from the November 2025 meeting would be addressed through annual reports and updates on procurement and social value which would be presented to the Committee in due course.

Having reviewed the Scrutiny Recommendations Tracker, it was RESOLVED to note the progress of the previous recommendations, suggestions for improvement, and information requests of the Committee.