Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were submitted Victoria Brignell and Nadia Taylor.

If a Councillor has a disclosable pecuniary interest in a particular item, whether or not it is entered in the Authority’s register of interests, or any other significant interest which they consider should be declared in the public interest, they should declare the existence and, unless it is a sensitive interest as defined in the Member Code of Conduct, the nature of the interest at the commencement of the consideration of that item or as soon as it becomes apparent.

At meetings where members of the public are allowed to be in attendance and speak, any Councillor with a disclosable pecuniary interest or other significant interest may also make representations, give evidence or answer questions about the matter. The Councillor must then withdraw immediately from the meeting before the matter is discussed and any vote taken.

Where Members of the public are not allowed to be in attendance and speak, then the Councillor with a disclosable pecuniary interest should withdraw from the meeting whilst the matter is under consideration. Councillors who have declared other significant interests should also withdraw from the meeting if they consider their continued participation in the matter would not be reasonable in the circumstances and may give rise to a perception of a conflict of interest.

Councillors are not obliged to withdraw from the meeting where a dispensation to that effect has been obtained from the Standards Committee.

There were no declarations of interest.

To approve the minutes of the previous meetings of both Health and Adult Social Care Policy and Accountability Committee, and Children and Education Policy and Accountability Committee as an accurate record and to note any outstanding actions.

RESOLVED

1.     That the minutes of the Health and Adult Social Care PAC meeting held on 17 November 2025 were agreed as an accurate record.

2.     That the minutes of the Children and Education PAC meeting held on 3 November 2025 were agreed as an accurate record.

This report provides an update on the overall preparation and proposals for the 2026/27 revenue budget, risks, financial resilience, and the impact of those proposals.

Councillor Rowan Ree (Cabinet Member for Finance and Reform) introduced the item and presented the corporate budget overview to the Committee. He mentioned that the joint meeting between Children’s and Adult’s Services was indicative of the internal reorganisation that had led to efficiencies within the departments. He explained that the 2026/27 budget needed to be taken in the context of the recent Autumn Statement from the Government, as well as a changing Demographic with Hammersmith and Fulham (H&F). He added that the Fair Funding Review was now a three-year settlement and that there was expected to be budgetary pressures due to this from 2027/28.

Jacqui McShannon (Executive Director – People), Tony Burton (Head of Finance – People) and Prakash Daryanani (Head of Finance – Adult Social Care) presented the directorate specific budget presentation. Jacqui McShannon explained that his was the first time that the People’s directorate had presented their budget after the reorganisation, as Children’s and Adult’s Services were previously separate. She stressed the importance of partnerships in their work and the setting of the budget. Tony Burton presented the Children’s Services budget and explained that of the £51m allocated to Children and Young People Services, 42% was Statutory settled and loving care arrangements for Children Looked After, 31% was Providing statutory intervention to safeguard children, and 11% prep for adulthood for care leavers. There was £76m allocated to Education and SEND, 57% of this was Statutory SEND and Inclusion, 28% Early Years Entitlements and 9% Disabled Children Short Breaks. Prakash Daryanani presented the Adult Services budget. The main changes from 2025/26 were a £3.56m increase in the budget for 2026/27, other changes involved the Fair Funding Review and Savings. The Adult Social Care budget for 2026/27 was £123m, 33% was for Residential and Nursing Placements, 16% Home Care and 12% Care Management & Assessment. £28m was allocated for Public Health, 30% was for Public Health Investment Outcome, 20% Substance Misuse Services and 19% Sexual Health.

Councillor Natalia Perez (Chair of Health and Adult Social Care Policy and Accountability Committee) noted that the Committee had been presented a balanced budget, which protected reserves and had £9.5m of efficiencies, without cutting services.

Councillor Jackie Borland mentioned that H&F had an aging population as a borough and asked if there was any mitigation in the budget for the increase in demand for services that this could cause. Sarah Bright (Director - Commissioning Transformation and Health Partnerships) explained that they were working on how they would meet residents' needs in the future by taking learning from how residents saw themselves in older life. She added that early intervention and prevention was key as well as working in partnership with residents. She mentioned that new technology was being introduced constantly and this would lead to new opportunities. Jacqui McShannon added that it was important to look at the pattern of uptake for services, as some services were becoming less popular over time.

Councillor Borland asked whether being proactive and looking for opportunities for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To note the following dates of future meetings:

·       22 April 2026

The following dates of future meetings were noted:

Health and Adult Social Care PAC:

· 22 April 2026

Children and Education PAC:

· 15 April 2026