Decision

For the reasons set out in this report, the Corporate Director has decided to:

1)    Award the contract for disagreement resolution and mediation services to Why Mediate Ltd. from 1st February 2026 for a period of two years with an option to extend the contract for up to a further six months.

Alternative options considered

A do-nothing option has been discounted as the Council would be unable to fulfil its statutory duties under the Children and Families Act, 2014 to arrange disagreement resolution and mediation services. This would expose the Council to significant legal and reputational risk.

It is not possible to develop an in-house service offer as disagreement resolution and mediation services must be independent from the Council and impartial.