The Ealing Council cabinet met to discuss a range of issues, including awarding a leisure contract, updating the climate strategy, changes to West London Alliance procurement and contracts, and a RIPA ¹ update. The cabinet agreed to award a contract for leisure services to Sports and Leisure Management Ltd, adopted the 2025 Climate and Ecological Emergency Strategy Progress Report, and approved changes to the West London Strategic Employment Support contract.

Award of Bi-Borough Leisure Contract

The cabinet agreed to award a contract for the delivery of leisure services to Sports and Leisure Management Ltd (SLM) for 10 years, with an option to extend for a further five. They also delegated authority to the Strategic Director of Economy and Sustainability to finalise the contract terms and enter into an Inter Authority Agreement (IAA) with the London Borough of Harrow, as well as negotiate leases required for the contract.

The Chair, Councillor Peter Mason, Leader of the Council, noted that paragraph 57 of the report should be disregarded as it was inaccurate and contrary to paragraph 22. The report noted that in April 2024, the cabinet agreed to commence a collaborative procurement of the council's Tri-Borough leisure contract with the London Boroughs of Brent and Harrow, but Brent Council later withdrew. The following leisure facilities are in the scope of the procurement:

• Everyone Active Acton Centre
• New Gurnell Leisure Centre
• Dormers Wells Leisure Centre
• Northolt Leisure Centre
• Brent Valley Golf Course & Fitness Centre
• Perivale Park Athletic Track
• Greenford Sports Centre
• Northolt High School Sports Centre
• Reynolds Sports Centre
• Swift Road Outdoor Sports Centre
• A new turnkey sports hall and gym in the Green Quarter, Southall

The report also detailed Ealing's strategic objectives for the leisure contract, including: protecting and enhancing physical and mental health, increasing participation (especially amongst low participant groups), providing support and services to older residents and those with a disability, providing facilities and activities for women and young people, improving public health and wellbeing, providing employment opportunities for local people and contributing towards tackling the climate emergency.

The report stated that SLM will deliver a local employment and skills strategy across Ealing, working in partnership with local authorities, schools, colleges, Active Partnerships, and the wider VCS sector to create meaningful employment pathways. They will also ensure that a minimum of 80% of their workforce are residents of the boroughs they serve and will deliver a structured Apprenticeship Careers Programme offering 195 employment pathways.

The report also noted the tax implications of the contract, stating that in March 2023, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) announced a significant change to the VAT treatment of local authority leisure services.

Climate and Ecological Emergency Strategy 2025 Progress Report

The cabinet agreed that the 2025 Progress Report and the refreshed approaches it contains on Better Living, Collective Action, and Climate Adaptation and Resilience, are adopted to sit alongside the 2021 Climate and Ecological Emergency Strategy.

The report noted that since declaring a climate emergency in 2019 and adopting the Climate and Ecological Emergency Strategy (CEES) in 2021, Ealing Council has made significant progress. It also proposed some additions to the CEES which draw on published and peer-reviewed academic research, largely including guidance created by the UCL Climate Action Unit. Three areas are proposed as supplements to the original strategy: the Better Living Framework, a Collective Action Plan, and a Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategy.

The Better Living Framework ensures that climate action delivers tangible benefits for residents, embedding a mentality that requires that climate action projects must demonstrate one or more of these benefits alongside reducing our carbon emissions: Healthier Lives, Comfortable Spaces, Greener Borough, Improved Financial Resilience, Good Jobs, Social Connection.

A Collective Action Plan aligns climate action with the council's approach for Connected Communities, designed to enable and galvanise participation in climate action by removing barriers, fostering partnerships, and embedding inclusive engagement practices.

A planned Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategy, subject to public consultation, will be published as a standalone document under the wider umbrella of the CEES.

WLA Procurement and Contracts

The cabinet agreed to extend the West London Strategic Employment Support contract with The Shaw Trust for a period of three years from 1 April 2028. They also agreed to vary the contract to include additional caseloads in 2025/26 for the Connect to Work service and to extend the term for this service to the end of the financial year 2030/31, as well as to include additional caseloads in 2025/2026 for the WorkWell service and to extend the term of this service to the end of the financial year 2028/29. Additionally, they agreed to vary the contract to extend the term of the Musculoskeletal (MSK) Trailblazer service to the end of the financial year 2026/27 and to extend the contract with VIA (formerly Westminster Drug Project) to deliver the IPS Service for users of Drug and Alcohol treatment services for a further two years from 1 April 2026.

The cabinet also agreed to enter into grant agreements to accept grant funding from DWP ², DHSC ³, NHS Organisations (including the new merged North West London and North Central London ICB ⁴), GLA ⁵ or other Government Departments for up to £90m to cover the increased costs of the Connect to Work, WorkWell and MSK Trailblazer services. They authorised the Director of West London Alliance to pass grant funding to boroughs covered by the North West London (NWL) ICB, the boroughs covered by the North Central London (NCL) ICB, and to NHS Organisations within the geography of the NWL ICB and NCL ICB to support the delivery of Connect to Work, WorkWell and MSK Trailblazer services.

The report stated that in January 2025, a Key Officer Decision was taken to let the West London Strategic Employment Support contract to The Shaw Trust for up to £250m and that the term of the contract is for up to 10 years to expire at the end of the financial year 2034/35. The contract is an over-arching agreement for all West London Employment Support services, and when additional services are required, they are added as additional Orders to the existing contract. The Employment Support services currently covered under the contract are the Connect to Work service, the WorkWell service and the Musculoskeletal (MSK) Trailblazer service.

RIPA Update

The cabinet noted the current use of RIPA in relation to surveillance and acquisition and disclosure of communications data as set out in the report.

The report noted that Human Rights legislation requires the council to respect the private and family life of citizens and their homes and correspondence, and that RIPA regulates the circumstances and methods by which public bodies may carry out covert surveillance and in certain circumstances compel telecommunications and postal companies including internet service providers to obtain and release to the council communications data in their possession or control.

The report stated that there were no RIPA applications for covert surveillance made in the period 1 April 2024 - 31 March 2025, reflecting the fact that nearly all enforcement activity by council officers continues to be overt and does not therefore require RIPA.