The Corporate and Resources Committee of Kingston upon Thames Council convened on 27 November 2025, addressing a range of strategic and financial matters. Key decisions included approving the establishment of a Special Purpose Vehicle for temporary accommodation, awarding contracts for cloud data centre services and CCTV upgrades, and endorsing the new Inclusive Kingston Strategy 2025-29. The committee also reviewed the revenue and capital budget monitoring reports.

Temporary Accommodation - Special Purpose Vehicle

The committee approved the formation of a wholly council-owned Special Purpose Vehicle Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG) to address the rising demand for temporary accommodation. The decision includes:

1. Approving the establishment of the CLG, operating under the attached Annex 2 - RBK - Teckal Company - Articles.
2. Confirming the composition of the Board of Directors as the Director of Housing, the Director of Finance, and the Director of Property and Projects.
3. Approving the Members Agreement in principle, subject to any amendments deemed necessary by the Executive Director of Place.
4. Adding a budget of £63.1 million to the general fund capital programme, funded by prudential borrowing, for the purchase of 150 homes, phased over three years: £12.6 million in 2026/27, £26.6 million in 2027/28, and £23.9 million in 2028/29.
5. Delegating authority to the Executive Director of Place, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing, to approve the acquisition of the 150 properties and their subsequent leasing to the CLG.
6. Delegating authority to the Executive Director of Place, in consultation with the Executive Director of Corporate Services (S151 Officer) and Portfolio Holder for Finance, Assets and Governance, to finalise and enter into all necessary agreements, contracts, and arrangements to establish and operate the CLG.

The aim is to reduce the council's reliance on expensive nightly paid accommodation and provide suitable homes for residents. According to the Temporary Accommodation - Special Purpose Vehicle SPV report, applications to the council for temporary accommodation have quadrupled since 2023, and costs are forecast to exceed £12 million in 2025/26. The council plans to borrow funds from the Public Works Loan Board¹ to purchase the homes and lease them to the CLG. The Annex 1 - SPV Full Business Case notes that the CLG will not have any directly employed staff but will engage the council to provide management services.

Inclusive Kingston Strategy 2025-29

The committee approved the Inclusive Kingston Strategy 2025-2029, outlined in Annex 1 - Inclusive Kingston Strategy 2025 - 2029. This strategy builds upon the previous Inclusive Kingston Strategy 2021-2025 and aims to create an inclusive, accessible, and safe borough for all who live, work, study, or visit Kingston. The four equality objectives of the strategy are:

• Deeply understanding the needs and experiences of communities and working together to make change.
• Tackling inequality and tailoring approaches to reflect the diverse needs of communities.
• Being a proudly diverse borough that is inclusive, accessible, and safe.
• Continuing to build an inclusive workplace where fairness and equity are at the heart of everything.

The strategy was drafted following engagement with communities, residents, stakeholders, forums, partners, staff and elected members.

The committee also noted the outcomes and closing statements for the Inclusive Kingston Strategy 2021-2025 Action Plan, detailed in Annex 1 - EDI Annual Report 2025 Action Plan Outcomes and Closing Statements, and the annual summary of the council's work in relation to the Armed Forces Covenant.

Cloud Data Centre Services - Contract Award

The committee approved the award of a contract for Cloud Data Centre Services to Amazon Web Services (AWS) for an initial period of three years, with an option of two 12-month extensions. The maximum contract value is detailed in the Exempt Report. This decision was made as a direct call off under the YPO Framework 001126 – Cloud Services, Data Centre Management and Transformation Solutions. The Cloud Data Centre Services Contract Award report notes that this award also covers data centre services for the London Borough of Sutton.

The contract sum includes an element for non-committed expenditure to meet the future needs of the council and provide efficient and effective management of variable usage.

CCTV Upgrade - Contract Award

The committee approved the award of a contract for the supply, installation, and provision of CCTV Integrator work packages, including the relocation of the CCTV Control Room. The contract was awarded to the successful supplier for a period of nine months, from January 2026 to September 2026, for the contract value set out in Exempt Annex 1. The CCTV Integrator Contract Award report notes that the available capital budget for the delivery of all elements of the CCTV Infrastructure (Integrator) upgrade, including contingency, is £1,718,839, and that the cost for the contract is within the available budget.

Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring 2025/26

The committee resolved to note the forecast outturn position in respect of the General Fund for 2025/26, the forecast position on the Housing Revenue Account, the forecast position of the Schools Budget and the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) for 2025/26, and the forecast outturn position in respect of the Capital Programme for 2025/26.

The committee also approved, subject to GLA Grant funding approval, a capital budget of £17.73 million to support the acquisition of 48 properties from Cambridge Road Estate LLP, a £20.87 million increase to the CRE Affordable Homes budget, and £0.50 million budget re-profiling for CRE Loan.

The Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring 2025_26 as at Month 6 report noted that the 2025/26 forecast of the General Fund revenue outturn position at Month 6 (30 September 2025) is an overspend of £3.42 million against a budget of £192.48 million.

Timetable of Meetings 2026-27

The committee recommended to the council that the timetable of meetings for the 2026/27 Municipal Year at Annex 1 of the Timetable of Meetings 2026-27 report be approved, and that the Corporate Head of Democratic and Electoral Services, in consultation with the relevant Committee Chairs, be authorised to make any amendments to the timetable as prove to be necessary during the course of the Municipal Year.

Motion Referred to Committee by Council: Committee System versus Leader and Cabinet in Kingston

The committee debated the motion and it was carried unanimously. The motion stated that the council:

• Opposes the government's plans to abolish the committee system.
• Will continue to champion governance arrangements that put residents first and empower all councillors.
• Will communicate this position through writing a cross-party letter (from the leaders of those groups willing to sign) to the Minister of State for Local Government & English Devolution and to the local MPs representing Kingston upon Thames.

The Annexe 1 - Motion Referred to Committee by Council on 14 October 2025 report noted that at the time of writing, the Central Government is pursuing the compulsory shift of all Committee System councils to the Leader and Cabinet model through primary legislation.

Urgent Decision Taken Under Procedure Rule 30 - Cleaning Services for Corporate Sites - Contract Modification

The committee noted the action reported on the agenda. The Urgent Decision Taken under Procedure Rule 30 - Cleaning Services for Corporate Sites Contract Modif report stated that the Executive Director Place, in consultation with the Co-Chairs of Corporate and Resources Committee, took the decision to approve the modification of the Building Cleaning Services Contract with YBC Cleaning Services Ltd, for an additional contract period of one year, for a maximum contract value of £5.21 million ex VAT (£6.25 million inc. VAT).