Here is a summary of the upcoming Finance Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting. The meeting will cover a range of financial issues, including subscriptions to London Councils, budget proposals for 2024-2028, and land appropriation for housing development. The committee will also discuss the council's response to the cost of living crisis and review the annual procurement plan.

Land Appropriation for Housing

The committee will be given a report regarding the proposed appropriation of land adjacent to Farnborough House, Rushmere House and Chilcombe House on the Alton Estate at Fontley Way SW15. The report pack states that this appropriation would be for planning purposes, using Section 122 of the Local Government Act 1972, and Section 203 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 to facilitate the Homes for Wandsworth development programme. The report pack notes that because the site includes open space, the council's intention to use these powers will be publicly advertised, and any objections will be considered. The report pack claims that the appropriation is intended to be cost neutral, as the land will be transferred from the Housing Revenue Account[^1] to the General Fund, and then immediately back to the Housing Revenue Account.

The report pack includes a glossary of terms related to the appropriation, including:

• EINA - Equality Impact Needs Analysis
• HRA - Housing Revenue Account
• RoL - Rights of Light
• ND - Non-Derogation Lease
• OL - Old lease
• NL - New Lease

The report pack states that the Interim Director of Place will ask the Finance Overview and Scrutiny Committee to support recommendations to the Executive, including:

• Approving the appropriation of the development site for planning purposes.
• Authorising the Assistant Director (Property Services) to seek Secretary of State consent for the appropriation, as required by section 19(2) of the Housing Act 1985.
• Delegating authority to the Assistant Director (Property Services) to appropriate the land to planning purposes and subsequently from planning purposes back to the HRA.

The report pack states that the intention is to submit the proposals to the Finance Committee and the Executive in January 2025, and that it is expected that any residents affected by the development would have engaged with Newsteer Limited (the Council's consultants) and where it is agreed there is an impact or injury, impact assessments and negotiations either completed or in hand.

The report pack states that at a meeting on 8 October 2018, the Executive approved a protocol for the use of powers of appropriation for council-led development schemes and estate regeneration schemes.

The report pack states that Section 203 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 empowers local authorities to carry out building or maintenance work even if it involves interfering with a relevant right or interest or breaching a restriction as to the user of land arising by virtue of a contract, and that any compensation claims arising following appropriation of a development site for planning purposes would be calculated on a diminution in value basis on the basis set out in sections 7 and 10 of the Compulsory Purchase Act 1965.

The report pack states that the development proposals aim to support the Wandsworth Energy and Sustainability Strategy (WESS) in a number of ways, including:

• Aiming to achieve Passivhaus Certification[^2].
• Using heat pumps to provide space heating and domestic hot water.
• Using sustainable construction methods, such as reuse of concrete and specifying GGBS (ground granulated blast furnace slag) instead of Portland Cement.
• Protecting and enhancing nature conservation and biodiversity.

The report pack states that an Energy and Sustainability Strategy was submitted in support of the planning application and approved by the Planning Service, and that the development proposals aim to support the Wandsworth Energy and Sustainability Strategy (WESS).

The report pack states that an Equality Impact Needs Analysis (EINA) has been undertaken and found that any impacts on protected groups would be minimal, as officers have consulted widely with residents for this specific development.

The report pack includes supporting information, including:

• Details of the proposed development, which involves the demolition of existing structures and the erection of three residential blocks comprising 38 units, with associated landscaping, car parking, cycle storage, refuse storage and a play area.
• An explanation of the public interest in the proposed development, including the acute need for affordable housing and the improvements to communal open space.
• Identification of third-party rights and interests that may be interfered with, such as Rights of Light and Non-Derogation leaseholder rights.
• An explanation of the engagement/negotiation process, including community engagement events and correspondence with affected parties.
• An explanation of the criteria for the application and effects of section 203 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016, which enables the council to override rights and restrictions and converts any potential claim for injunction into a claim for compensation.
• An explanation of the statutory entitlement to compensation under section 204 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 where rights and interests are interfered with by the development.
• An explanation of the statutory tests for appropriation under section 122 of the Local Government Act 1972 and Section 226/227 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
• Consideration of whether the public benefits of the development proceeding outweigh any infringement of the human rights of affected third parties.
• The equalities implications and the public sector equality duty.

The report pack includes appendices with additional information, including a site plan, the planning permission decision notice, a table of affected properties, a copy of the public notice, and the Equality Impact Needs Assessment.

Council's General Fund Revenue Budget 2024-2028

The committee will be asked to consider the Council's General Fund Revenue Budget for 2024-2028. The report pack states that the budget requirement, reserves and Council Tax for 2025/26 and the budget framework up to 2027/28 will be considered further at future meetings in February and March 2025. The report pack notes that based on initial estimates, further budget reductions, the use of balances/earmarked reserves or additional Council Tax income will be required to balance the budget.

The report pack includes a glossary of terms related to the budget, including:

• GLA - Greater London Authority
• NHB - New Homes Bonus
• NNDR - National Non-Domestic Rates (Business Rates)

The report pack states that the Executive Director of Finance will ask the Finance Committee to support recommendations to the Executive, including:

• Approving a revised General Revenue Budget Requirement for the Council of £199.711m for 2024/25.
• Approving General Revenue Budget Requirements for the Council of £220.733m for 2025/26, £238.842m for 2026/27 and £253.660m for 2027/28.
• Approving the summary report as the basis for statutory consultation with business ratepayers' representatives.

The report pack states that the report is set in the context of ongoing and sustained significant financial pressures within the local government sector due to increased pressure on key statutory services.

The report pack states that detailed budgets for each service committee are set out in Appendix A, and that these budgets show the effects of inflation, developments and likely future demand pressures in order to give a view of the medium term financial outlook for the Council.

The report pack states that for each service committee remit the original budget approved last March has been re-priced to take account of inflation between November 2023 and November 2024, and that the national local government pay award for 2024/25 has now been agreed and works out at an average increase of 3.5%.

The report pack states that the budget is adjusted for the effect of current programmes and developments approved to date or now identified, and that the net effect is to increase budgets by £8.9m in 2024/25, £21.9m in 2025/26, £15.8m in 2026/27 and by £15.5m in 2027/28.

The report pack states that the figures include planned variations to budget which have been approved as funded from reserves, including expenditure in relation to the cost of living crisis, the Council's change programme, the Borough of Sanctuary and support for refugees, and the Access for All programme.

The report pack states that the revised total of committee budgets for the current year, including developments, is £268.991m, and that the forecast against this revised 2024/25 budget shows significant pressures across a number of service areas, largely linked to the increasing costs of and demand for statutory services.

The report pack states that the settlement announced an increase in average Core Spending Power of 6% across England and 5.7% for London boroughs, and that Wandsworth's increase in Core Spending Power is slightly above average at 6%.

The report pack states that future projections assume an unchanged level of general government funding in future years beyond what is currently known, and that there remains a significant risk of a shift of resources away from London authorities.

The report pack states that Wandsworth's allocation of New Homes Bonus is £7.8m in 2025/26, an increase from £6.4m in 2024/25, and that the Government has confirmed this will be the final year of the New Homes Bonus in its current format.

The report pack states that Wandsworth has received an increase of £6.6m for the Social Care Support Grant to compensate for pressures in both adults and children's social care, bringing the allocation to £40.2m, and that a new Children's Social Care Prevention Grant has been announced with Wandsworth's allocation at £1.5m.

The report pack states that the Services Grant has been entirely cut, amounting to a loss of £470,000 for Wandsworth, and that a new Recovery Grant has been announced with nil allocation for Wandsworth in 2025/26.

The report pack states that current modelling suggests that London wide pooling in 2025/26 will not offer the financial benefits it has previously, and that the Government has increased the standard business rates multiplier for 2025/26 by the September CPI of 1.7%.

The report pack states that the Household Support Fund has been confirmed as continuing in 2025/26 but the details and sum are unclear at this stage, and that Wandsworth's allocation of £4.1m in 2024/25 has been fully allocated.

The report pack states that the Government has a series of waste collection and packaging reforms it plans to implement over the next few years, and that Wandsworth is receiving £3.6m in 2025/26, which will be put into a newly established Waste Reserve to support the Cleaner Borough Plan and introduction of future waste reforms.

The report pack states that the Council's contribution towards the cost of Transport for London's concessionary fares scheme is expected to increase to around £13.9m in 2025/26.

The report pack states that the Council is facing significant demand pressures, in particular in both adults' and children's social care, and that temporary accommodation levels in relation to homelessness continue at high levels.

The report pack states that existing budgets have been reviewed and a number of contract, service delivery and back office efficiencies have been implemented, and that the Council continues to invest in its corporate change programme which is expected to deliver financial benefits.

The report pack states that benchmarked data shows the cost of running services in Wandsworth compares favourably to statistically similar authorities, and that a full review of demand management activities is being undertaken to ensure all areas are being considered and that, in particular, digital solutions are being maximised where possible.

The report pack states that overall, service budgets have been increased in 2025/26 for demand related pressures (excluding inflation) by £16.1m, and that time limited investment in Council priorities including the Cleaner Borough Plan, Access for All, the cost of living response and the change programme are also reflected in the figures, funded from the planned use of reserves.

The report pack states that general inflation has been assumed at an average of 2.3% in 2025/26, 2.1% in 2026/27 and 2.1% in future years, and that each 1% pay increase will increase budgets by approximately £1.7m.

The report pack states that the Council has benefited from significant additional revenue income over the past few years linked to high bank rates, and that market opinion of future movements suggests that rates may fall again in early 2025, dropping to 4.5% by April 2025 with the longer term estimates expected to have a 'norm' of around 3.5%.

The report pack states that the Council has discretion to set a wide variety of charges for services, and that the total income budget from fees and charges set by the Council is approximately £39.8m in 2025/26.

The report pack states that the Mayor of London has issued his draft budget for 2025/26, and that this shows the total GLA precept increasing by £18.98 (4%) from £471.40 to £490.38.

The report pack states that the Government is allowing an increase of 2% in 2025/26, and that Council Tax in 2025/26 could therefore increase by a maximum of 4.99% without triggering a referendum which would generate additional income of £3.6m.

The report pack states that the Council has reserves which could be used to fund any budget gap, but it is important to tackle ongoing budget pressures which will inevitably put pressure on future Council Tax levels or require further efficiency savings as reserve balances reduce.

The report pack states that even assuming maximum Council Tax increases in both 2025/26 and 2026/27, increased income, budget reductions or use of reserves in the region of £33.2m will still be required to produce a balanced budget in 2027/28.

The report pack includes appendices with additional information, including detailed budgets for each service committee and a summary of the effect of inflation and developments.

Wandsworth's Annual Procurement Plan

The committee will be asked to review Wandsworth's annual procurement plan and provide an update on procurement-related activity. The report pack states that the Executive Director of Finance will ask the Finance Overview and Scrutiny Committee to support recommendations to the Executive, including:

• Approving the list of contracts due for renewal between June 2025 and June 2026 which are considered sensitive, based on the sensitivity analysis, and the list of non-sensitive which will be approved by the PB.
• Noting the general annual updates within paragraphs 4 to 11.

The report pack states that for several years, the council has determined which contracts due for renewal should be subject to scrutiny via the appropriate OSC, and that General Purposes Committee and Full Council have approved the introduction of a more structured approach to assessing sensitive with the introduction of a sensitivity matrix which considers the following:

• Cost estimate
• Contract Classification
• Strategic Outcome
• Public Safety
• Reputational Implications
• Political Profile
• Stakeholder/Service User engagement
• Impact on Organisation

The report pack states that all Procurement Board and Committee reports continue to include an Environmental statement, and that the Council's Climate Change Team are engaged in supporting the development of specifications where it is clear the goods, works or services to be procured can have a direct impact on climate change ambitions.

The report pack states that to date, 100% of Procurement Board reports have made provision for Social Value of at least 10% within the evaluation methodology since the Council introduced the Social Value policy, and that the Social Value Toolkit has been updated.

The report pack states that the Council have mandated the payment of Real Living Wage rates within all new and extended contracts since June 2022, and that since that date, 234 contracts have been extended or relet and all have included revised Terms and Conditions of Contract that staff working on the contract must be paid at least Real Living Wage rates.

The report pack states that Central Procurement continue the implementation of the ATAMIS procurement software which incorporates our new tendering portal, spend analysis tools to identify off contract spend, pipeline for tenders and quotes and contract management, and includes an example of the ATAMIS KPI dashboard.

The report pack states that whilst the rate of inflation has reduced in recent months, costs are still high and there has been a consistent increase in the price of tenders and quotes compared to the pre-tender estimated cost, and that supply chain disruption continues to contribute to increased costs of contracts.

The report pack states that whilst our new Procurement Strategy is progressing well, following the announcement to delay the implementation of the new Procurement Act 2023[^3] until February 2025 whilst a new National Procurement Strategy is developed, it is prudent to await the publication of that new National Strategy before we finalise our own.

The report pack states that a Commissioning Framework has been developed alongside a toolkit and training sessions for staff, and that a new Commissioning Board starting in October, coordinate commissioning activity across the organisation and looking for opportunities to join up commissioning where there are synergies across services.

The report pack states that General Purposes Committee and Full Council have approved amendments to the Councils constitution to increase the delegation levels for Officers to approve entering into contract up to £3m total lifetime value.

The report pack includes appendices with additional information, including a sensitivity matrix, the procurement forward plan, contract classification definitions, and a KPI dashboard example from ATAMIS.

Cost of Living Update

The committee will be given a report on the Council's response to the cost of living crisis. The report pack states that the Executive Director of Finance will ask the Finance Committee to:

• Note the continued response of the Council to help residents and businesses through the ongoing cost of living crisis and plans to continuing providing support through 2025/26.
• Note the Council's response to the Cost of Living Commission's recommendations, and plans for further activity, as set out in paragraphs 19-23 and Appendix 3.
• Note the allocation of £1,296,796 from the Council's Cost of Living Reserve, to fund the initiatives summarised at paragraph 24-26.
• Note the spend to date for Tranche 5 of the Household Support Fund as set out in paragraphs 27-34:
• Agree proposals for continued spending against the additional £2.07m allocation for Wandsworth until March 2025 (Tranche 6), and the as yet unconfirmed allocation for HSF Tranche 7 to be spent between April 2025 and March 2026 as outlined in paragraphs 35-50.
• Note the proposals for the future of the Cost of Living Programme as outlined in paragraphs 51-54.

The report pack states that in February 2024 the Council committed a further £5 million to the Cost of Living Reserve, bringing its total commitment to £15m in addition to Government Funding from the Household Support Fund, and that this commitment is to enable the recommendations of the Cost of Living Commission to be implemented alongside the existing programme, to deliver systemic change to reduce our residents' vulnerability to economic shocks, and to improve the effectiveness of Wandsworth system's ability to respond.

The report pack states that the Council's Cost of Living Programme seeks to use this funding to support residents and businesses in a compassionate and sustainable way, both directly and through its partners, and involves both immediate support to those in crisis and initiatives to support residents and businesses to become more resilient to financial shocks over time.

The report pack states that the Council accepted the findings of the Cost of Living Commission in full, and in February 2024 published a report outlining how it intended to take forward the recommendations which were within its control.

The report pack states that the Council has allocated £10.4m of projects to date, including £2.9m committed so far in 2024/25, and that work is ongoing with internal services and external partners to review the impact of projects funded to date, and to identify potential gaps in provision for particular geographic and demographic groups, to inform plans for the remaining funding.

The report pack states that the Council's Insight and Analytics team continue to provide analysis on the impact of the cost of living crisis in Richmond.

The report pack states that the main pressures on low income households continue to be caused by high private rents and existing debts as a result of the cost of living crisis, and that food prices began rising again in September 2024.

The report pack states that inflation rose by 3.2% in the year to October 2024, and that the energy price cap rose by 10% for the average household in October 2024, will rise by a further 1% in January 2025 and is predicted to rise by a further 3% in April 2025.

The report pack states that Citizens Advice is seeing an increase in the number of people in a negative budget situation and with a higher complexity of needs, as well as an increasing number of people needing help with homelessness issues, and that Citizens Advice Wandsworth (CAW) is seeing an increased number of households who have struggled with rising costs and have exhausted any savings.

The report pack states that nearly 60% of CAW clients are living with a disability or long-term health condition, and that nearly two thirds are people of colour.

The report pack states that the Council's Business Rates team has been proactively working with businesses who are struggling to meet their business rate liabilities, and that business rate relief for retail, hospitality and leisure continues at 75% up to £110,000 until the 31st March 2025.

The report pack states that progress on the Cost of Living Programme has continued since the previous report to Committee in October 2024, and that particular emphasis has been placed on preparing for winter 2024/25, including campaigns using the Low Income Family Tracker (LIFT) to encourage uptake of benefits such as Pension Credit and Free School Meals, council-led and voluntary and community sector-led Community Spaces, and supporting resident's financial resilience through an expanded information and advice offer locally.

The report pack states that in November 2023, the independent commission tasked with examining the underlying causes of cost of living pressure in Wandsworth published their final report which made 35 recommendations for actions across five themes to alleviate the rising cost of living on residents, and that the Council accepted the findings in full, and in February 2024 published a report outlining how it intended to take forward the recommendations which were within its control.

The report pack states that to enable the delivery of these actions, and sustain the Council's extensive cost of living programme, the Council invested an additional £5 million in its Cost of Living reserve, making it the largest in London.

The report pack states that the Council has used ONS local data of 1100 of residents in the surrounding area to the proposed development, which includes those invited to participate in the consultations in November 2022 and November 2023.

The report pack states that the Council has initiated contact and negotiation with the occupiers of properties identified at risk of reduction in right of light, loss of garden space and/or interference with lease rights because of this development.

The report pack states that the Housing Development Team has undertaken detailed consultation and engagement as part of the preplanning discussions with neighbouring residents and key stakeholders, in addition to the subsequent statutory planning consultation undertaken by the planning authority.

The report pack includes a table of dates and events relating to the consultation, including:

• A detailed consultation website was published on Thursday 3 November 2022.
• Local groups and stakeholders were notified about the public drop-in on Thursday 3 November 2022.
• 570 invitation flyers were delivered via Royal Mail to residential and business addresses in a specified distribution area surrounding the Site on Friday 4 November 2022.
• Printed and digital advertisement campaigns ran with the Wandsworth Times from Monday 7 November 2022 - Wednesday 30 November 2022.
• The Alton Regeneration Team handed out copies of the flyer from their stall outside the community centre on Friday 11 November 2022.
• A public drop-in was held at the Manresa Clubroom, Roehampton from 2pm-7pm on Monday 14 November 2022.
• The consultation closed to allow time for the feedback to be collated and analysed on Friday 25 November 2022.
• A one-page article was published in the Alton Newsletter on Thursday 1 December 2022
• Site visit attended by members of the project team, Roehampton Ward Councillors and local residents on Friday 9 December 2022
• Roehampton Ward members update meeting hosted by the Head of Housing Development at Wandsworth Borough Council on Wednesday 18 January 2023
• Local groups and stakeholders were notified about the Stage Two consultation events, including the public exhibition and online public webinar on Monday 30 October 2023
• Website updates published on the consultation website on Monday 30 October 2023
• 570 invitation flyers were hand delivered to residential and business addresses in a specified distribution area surrounding the Site on Monday 30 October 2023
• Printed and digital advertisement campaigns ran with the Wandsworth Times from Monday 30 October 2023 - Tuesday 7 November 2023
• A public exhibition was held at the Manresa Clubroom, Roehampton from 2pm-7pm on Tuesday 7 November 2023
• An online public webinar was held via Zoom at 6pm on Thursday 9 November 2023
• Consultation closed to allow time for the feedback to be collated and analysed on Friday 1 December 2023

The report pack includes a table summarising allocations from the Cost of Living Reserve, and a Cost of Living Impact Report from October 2024.

London Councils Borough Subscription 2025/26

The committee will be asked to consider a report by the Assistant Chief Executive on the London Councils Grant Scheme for 2025/26. The report pack states that the London Councils Grant Scheme is a pan-London scheme to which all London Boroughs contribute a proportion of the budget based on borough population, and that the funding priorities are services which combat homelessness and tackle sexual and domestic violence. The report pack states that the overall proposed budget for the London Councils Grants Scheme (LCGS) for the year 2025/26 is £6.711 million, and that the contribution requested from the London Borough of Wandsworth is £248,669 in 2025/26, which is an increase of £1,206 on the previous year. The report pack states that on 10 December 2024, the Leaders' Committee of LC agreed to approve a 2025/26 budget for the LCGS of £6.711 million, funded by borough contributions, and that the financial year 2025/26 represents the fourth year of the four-year programme of commissions provided by the Grants Committee under S.48 of the Local Government Act 1985. The report pack states that if agreement of two-thirds of constituent Councils is not received by 1 February 2025, the overall level of expenditure will be deemed to be the same as that in the 2024/25 financial year, and that based on Wandsworth's population share using ONS mid-2022 estimates of 3.71%, this would mean the Council contributing £247,463 to the LCGS in 2025/26. The report pack states that the Director of Finance comments that the Council's contribution to the proposed LC 2025/26 grant budget is £248,669, and that this is an increase of £1,206 over the 2024/25 spend, and the budget has been incorporated within the Council's General Revenue budget.

The report pack includes a glossary of terms related to the grant scheme, including:

• LCGS - London Councils Grants Scheme
• LC - London Councils
• LCGC - London Councils Grants Committee
• ONS - Office of National Statistics
• OSC - Overview and Scrutiny Committee
• VCS - Voluntary and Community Sector

The report pack states that the Assistant Chief Executive will ask the Finance Committee to support recommendations to the Executive, including:

• Agreeing the Council's continued involvement in the London Councils' Grants Scheme for 2025/26.
• Approving the contribution for the London Borough of Wandsworth of £248,669 being incorporated into the Council's budget.

The report pack states that Section 48 of the Local Government Act 1985 set up the London Councils Grants Scheme (LCGS) which enables London borough councils to fund voluntary sector activities across London, and that this scheme is managed by London Councils (LC) as the London Councils Grants Scheme (LCGS).

The report pack states that the LCGC agreed that there should be a Grants Programme from April 2022 to March 2026, operating in accordance with the current principles and focused on the following priorities:

Priority 1 - Combatting Homelessness; Priority 2 - Tackling Sexual and Domestic Violence

The report pack states that the London Council Grants Programme enables boroughs to tackle high-priority social needs where this is better done through commissions at a pan-London Level, and that the principles surrounding the implementation of the grants programme are:

• Robust, regular and transparent monitoring and reporting of the activities of the Grants Programme continues.
• That service providers are working in partnership with borough third sector organisations.
• That commissioned outcomes can evidence clear and transparent value for money.
• London Councils should facilitate a stronger network of officer relationships between itself, senior Borough officers and third sector providers and umbrella organisations in each borough.

The report pack states that the London Councils 2022-2026 Grant Programme prospectus called for project proposals to address two priorities, combatting homelessness, and tackling domestic and sexual abuse, and that the total funding available through the prospectus for the life of the programme was a maximum of £21,100,000, split across nine service areas.

The report pack lists the organisations that were recommended for funding, including Shelter, St Mungo Community Housing Association, New Horizon Youth Centre, Homeless Link, Against Violence and Abuse, Galop, Women and Girls Network, SignHealth, Refuge, Women's Aid Federation, Ashiana Network, Women's Resource Centre, and Asian Women's Resource Centre.

The report pack states that the London Council's Grants team works closely with those organisations in receipt of an award, undertaking negotiations and checks, including detailed scrutiny of budgets and profiles, and that the programme delivery commenced on 1 April 2022.

The report pack states that the LCGS benefits the borough by bringing economy of scale, efficiency and effectiveness to the services provided and the resources to produce them, by sharing expertise and learning between the boroughs and the organisations commissioned to provide the services.

The report pack states that the number of interventions delivered in the relevant period were:

• Priority 1, combatting homelessness – 26,656
• Priority 2, tackling sexual and domestic violence – 176,691

The report pack states that London Councils also provide a dashboard which outlines service delivery, and that London Councils' officers will continue to monitor the current awarded organisations and will report back to the LCGC on the monitoring and evaluations as the current grant scheme comes to an end.

The report pack states that London Councils had a substantial response to the two consultations undertaken in February/March of 2020 and January/February of 2021, and the two focus groups which included borough officers and members, which was undertaken in the spring of 2021, and that this information was used to refine the areas where the boroughs needed the most support.

The report pack states that the findings from the consultation demonstrated strong support to continue the current programme's services into the new programme, and that the consultation also highlighted increased multiple, complex needs that require longer-term support, and requirement for specialist and culturally sensitive support.

The report pack states that the LCGS commissions appropriate services across London and through these aims to provide a network of local services which residents can be offered sustainable provision to meet their needs, and that where appropriate, referral agencies will seek to signpost to the most local service thus reducing residents need to travel.

The report pack states that London Councils funding is provided by the London Boroughs Grants Scheme, which was established under Section 48 of the Local Government Act 1985.

The report pack states that as part of the grant process, London Councils carried out an Equality Impact Needs Assessment (EINA), and that as the grant maker, London Councils remain responsible for the EINA and managing the impacts as appropriate.

The report pack includes an appendix with borough subscriptions for 2025-26.

Wandsworth Trading Company Annual Report

The committee will be asked to consider a report by the Executive Director of Finance on Wandsworth BC Trading Limited, providing an update on the company's operation and the accounts for the year ending 31st March 2024.

The report pack includes a glossary of terms related to the trading company, including:

• BSP - Better Service Partnership

The report pack states that the Executive will be asked to note the performance of the company.

The report pack states that the Executive agreed in June 2015 to establish a wholly owned local authority trading company, and that the primary purpose of this was to enable the Council to continue to provide services to the two staff mutuals that were being established with effect from 1st October 2015.

The report pack states that during the year to 31st March 2024 turnover was £59,221 and an operating loss of £794 was incurred, and that all of this work was with Enable and OneTrust and relates to the following services:

• HR Service Health & Safety
• HR Service Occupational Health
• Other HR / Recruitment Costs
• Pensions Admin Service
• Telephone Calls and IT Equipment
• Graphics Work

The report pack states that the Company's Board has previously also approved limited interaction with customers other than the staff mutuals, and that these include vehicle repairs for the Council's Special Educational Needs (SEN) contractor and some schools, repairs to Registered Social Landlord (RSL) properties, building consultancy services to Academies operating in the Borough and general Graphic Design work.

The report pack states that in no case does the additional work taken, or anticipated, amount to more than 50% of a Better Service Partnership (BSP) employee's workload, and that this means that no BSP staff member is under threat of being transferred to the Company under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 as they can be regarded as seconded when undertaking this work.

The report pack states that OneTrust and Enable both gave notice that from August 2023, they would no longer utilise the HR Health & Safety or HR General Advice services, and that since OneTrust stopped providing services to the Council in February 2024, there has been a significant reduction in the number of services provided to them through the company.

The report pack states that the Company attempts to broadly recover costs and not to make a significant profit, and that a loss was made in the year,