Ealing Council is set to examine its use of artificial intelligence, the effectiveness of its services for the homeless, and the outcome of the Social Housing inspection, as part of its Scrutiny Work Programmes for 2025-26.
The Overview and Scrutiny Committee agreed to the work programmes at its meeting on Thursday, 3 July 2025. The committee will also be scrutinising the council's partnership working arrangements, as well as evaluating the 'Better Lives Better Days' programme.
One key area of focus will be the council's adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other digital technologies across its services. The Overview and Scrutiny Committee is due to consider the use of Artificial Intelligence and other digital technology on council services
in the coming year. While the specific AI applications currently in use and their intended benefits were not detailed in the meeting information, this scrutiny aims to assess their impact and effectiveness.
Another key area that scrutiny is due to consider this year is the outcome of the Social Housing inspection. The key findings and recommendations are not yet known, as the inspection is due to take place in the summer.
The Scrutiny Work Programmes are developed based on ideas from previous years, issues raised by the community, planned council programmes and initiatives, knowledge of legislative and regulatory changes, and suggestions from panel members. The Scrutiny Work Programmes 2025-26 outline the areas that the various scrutiny panels and committees will focus on during the coming year.