The Interim Assistant Chief Executive - Change & Improvement & Corporate Director of Resources (Section 151 Officer), Maria G. Christofi, confirmed the council's contribution to London Councils for the 2026/27 financial year. This decision ensures Newham's continued participation in London-wide collaborative initiatives and grant schemes.

Subscription to London Councils for 2026/27

Maria G. Christofi, acting as the Interim Assistant Chief Executive - Change & Improvement & Corporate Director of Resources (Section 151 Officer), approved Newham Council's financial contribution to London Councils for the 2026/27 period. The total amount agreed upon is £455,729, which will be met from existing resources. This includes a £141,558 subscription to the London Councils Joint Committee, a £37,126 subscription to London Councils Limited, and a £277,045 contribution to the London Councils borough subscriptions grants committee.

London Councils is the representative body for all 32 London boroughs and the City of London, facilitating collaboration on pan-London policies, shared services, and statutory joint arrangements. The contributions fund its core functions, operational delivery through London Councils Limited, and the borough-funded Pan London Grants Scheme, administered by the Grants Committee under section 48 of the Local Government Act 1985. This scheme, established after the abolition of the Greater London Council, allows boroughs to pool resources to support voluntary action across the capital.

The decision to approve these payments supports the council's priorities by enabling participation in London-wide collaboration, influencing policy, sharing best practices, and delivering services that improve outcomes for residents, particularly in areas such as homelessness prevention and tackling domestic and sexual violence. The proposed payments represent an increase of £9,624, or approximately 2.2%, compared to the 2025/26 financial year, and will be managed within the Directorate budget.

The alternative of not approving the payments was considered and rejected, as non-payment would limit the council's ability to benefit from these collective arrangements. The London Councils Leaders' Committee had already approved the overall revenue budget and subscription levels for 2026/27 in December 2025, following established governance procedures and London-wide consultation for the grants programme. No additional local public consultation was deemed necessary for the annual approval of these subscriptions.

From a legal perspective, there are no direct implications arising from this report. In terms of equalities, the approved payments support London-wide arrangements designed with due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, aiming to address disadvantages faced by groups with protected characteristics.

Regarding procurement, the core borough/joint committee subscription is considered likely to fall under the exemption in Schedule 2, paragraph 3 of the Procurement Act 2023, as a horizontal arrangement between contracting authorities. This means it does not require a competitive procurement process, provided statutory conditions are met and documented. An alternative argument that the subscription falls outside the scope of a public contract altogether was also noted, though considered a secondary point due to insufficient information on the agreement. This exemption applies only to the core subscription and not to any separate optional service arrangements.

The decision was made by Maria G. Christofi, Interim Assistant Chief Executive - Change & Improvement & Corporate Director of Resources (Section 151 Officer), on 17 April 2026. The decision was notified to all Members on 22 April 2026.

The relevant documents for this decision are the Officer Non Key Decision Record - London Councils subscriptions 2026-27, Public minutes 17th-Apr-2026 Officer Non-Key Decision, and the Public reports pack 17th-Apr-2026 Officer Non-Key Decision.