Purpose

In light of recent HMRC announcements on Value Added Tax recovery in Leisure services to agree to convert Lampton Leisure into an agent of Hounslow

Decision

·       Cabinet agreed amend the operating model for Lampton Leisure Ltd so that Lampton Leisure Ltd would become an agent of Hounslow Council, this would enable the Council to reconcile the HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) VAT changes announced in 2023.

·       Cabinet delegated authority to the Assistant Chief Executive in consultation with the Executive Director of Finance and Resources, the Executive Director of Regeneration, Housing and Environmental Services, and Lampton Leisure Ltd to implement the actions required to implement this change as soon as possible in 2024/25 (see section 7 of the submitted report).

·       Cabinet agreed to extend the interim contract with Lampton Leisure beyond 31 March 2024 including the new agency principles.

·       Cabinet delegated to the Executive Director of Finance and Resources the responsibility for establishing budgets to reflect the revised arrangements (see paragraph 8.4 of the submitted report).