The Publishable Officer Decisions meeting of Hounslow Council on Tuesday 30 June 2026 was scheduled to discuss a range of matters, including the reconstitution of school governing bodies, contract awards for essential services, and funding allocations for transport and energy initiatives.

Reconstitution of School Governing Bodies

The meeting was scheduled to consider the reconstitution of the governing boards for three local primary schools: Beavers Community Primary School, Marjory Kinnon School, and Green Dragon Primary School. Reports indicated that the governing boards of these schools had reviewed their membership structures and proposed changes to the number of co-opted governors. For Beavers Community Primary School, the proposal was to reduce co-opted membership from nine to seven, resulting in a total of 12 governors. Marjory Kinnon School was set to reduce its co-opted governors from ten to eight, leading to a total of 13 governors. Green Dragon Primary School was also scheduled to reduce its co-opted governors from ten to seven, bringing its total membership to 12. These changes were intended to ensure efficient and strategic governing boards capable of effectively serving their respective school communities. The legal framework governing school governance, specifically the School Governance (Constitution and Federations) (England) (Amendment Regulations) 2014 and the School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2012, was noted as being relevant to these decisions.

Water Utilities Contract Award

A significant item on the agenda was the proposed award of a Water Utilities Contract. The report indicated that the current contract for water supply to 169 corporate assets, including schools, leisure centres, and other council properties, was due to expire at the end of April 2026. Following a mini-competition via the LASER Framework, Anglian Water Business (National) Limited, trading as Wave Utilities, was identified as the preferred bidder. The proposed contract was for a four-year term, commencing 1 May 2026, with an estimated value of £5.4 million. The contract was intended to ensure the continuity of water and wastewater services and included provisions for smart metering, leak detection, and water usage monitoring to support efficiency and sustainability goals. The contract was expected to align with the Council's sustainability objectives and contribute to water efficiency measures, with a target reduction in water usage of up to 15% over the contract term.

Transport for London Local Implementation Plan Grant Funding

The acceptance and allocation of £2.117 million in grant funding from Transport for London (TfL) for the 2026-2027 Local Implementation Plan (LIP) was scheduled for discussion. This funding is provided annually by TfL to support transport planning, road safety education programmes, and capital projects within the Traffic Capital Delivery Programme. The proposed allocation, detailed in Appendix 1 of the report, included funding for initiatives such as Safer Corridors and Neighbourhoods, Cycleways Network Development, Bus Priority Programmes, Rental Micromobility Parking, Cycle Parking, Cycle Training, and Principal Road Renewal. The Council's Transport Strategy and Local Implementation Plan, which align with the Mayor of London's Transport Strategy, were highlighted as key drivers for these projects. The funding was expected to contribute to the Council's objectives for active travel, air quality improvement, and achieving net-zero targets, supporting the borough's vision for a greener, healthier, thriving, safer, and liveable environment.

Inflation Release Requests for 2025/26

The meeting was to consider requests for the release of funds from the corporate inflation provision for the 2025/26 financial year. Cabinet had previously delegated the authority for allocating inflation to service budgets to the Executive Director of Finance and Resources. An Inflation Review Panel had met to consider these requests, recommending the allocation of £20,109,763 from the corporate provision to various service budgets. These requests covered a wide range of expenditures, including Non-Domestic Rates, External Audit Fees, Department of Transport Contributions, Corporate Services Contracts, Local Government Pay Awards, Employers' National Insurance changes, Highways PFI Contracts, Building Cleaning Services, various levies, Parks and Open Spaces Maintenance, Parking Services, Members' Allowances, Insurance, Waste and Recycling Collection Services, Waste Disposal Levy, Temporary Accommodation, Children's Placements, SEN Transport, Leisure Centre Contracts, Environment Agency Levy, Legal Services, Chiswick House and Gardens Trust, Adult Social Care, Children With Disabilities Direct Payments, and Digital & IT Contracts. The report noted that higher inflation rates had significantly impacted the council's budgets, and this process aimed to ensure effective budget management.

West London Orbital Project Funding

A capital funding agreement with Transport for London (TfL) for the West London Orbital (WLO) project was scheduled for discussion. The WLO is a proposed new London Overground route intended to improve orbital connectivity in West and North-West London. The report sought approval for a capital grant of £714,899.68 to TfL to support the single option selection stage of the project, which corresponds to Network Rail's PACE Stage 3. This stage involves TfL undertaking engineering and environmental studies, transport modelling, business case development, and public consultation. The Council's contribution represents 10.75% of the total estimated cost for this stage, which is £6.65 million. The funding was to be paid in quarterly instalments in arrears, based on expenditure incurred by TfL. The WLO project was highlighted as supporting the Council's corporate priorities by improving access to employment, supporting growth and regeneration, and contributing to net-zero ambitions.

Heat Network and Strategic Energy Partnership Advisors

Several agenda items concerned the procurement of advisors for the Council's Heat Network and Strategic Energy Partnership initiatives.

• Heat Network Engineering and Technical Advisor: The award of a contract to AECOM Limited for Heat Network Engineering and Technical Advisor services was proposed. This 15-month contract, with a potential six-month extension, was valued at an estimated £495,000 and would be sourced through the Crown Commercial Services Construction Professional Services framework. AECOM's role was to provide expertise on engineering and design matters throughout the procurement and commercialisation phases of the Heat Network project, ensuring continuity of knowledge from previous stages.

• Strategic Energy Partnership and Heat Network Commercial Advisor: The award of a contract to Steer Davies Gleave Limited for Strategic Energy Partnership and Heat Network Commercial Advisor services was scheduled for consideration. This 30-month contract, with a possible 12-month extension, had an estimated value of £858,000 and would be procured via the ESPO Framework. Steer Davies Gleave would provide commercial and financial advisory support for the procurement of Development Partner(s) for both the Heat Network and the Strategic Energy Partnership, aiming to develop commercially attractive propositions to encourage high-quality bids.

• Heat Network and Strategic Energy Partnership Legal Advisor: The award of a contract to Womble Bond Dickinson for Legal Advisor services for both the Heat Network and Strategic Energy Partnership procurements was also on the agenda. This 30-month contract, with a potential 12-month extension, was valued at an estimated £825,000 and would be sourced through the Crown Commercial Services Wider Public Sector Legal Services Framework. Womble Bond Dickinson would provide legal advice on procurement, contractual, and governance aspects, working collaboratively with the technical and commercial advisors.

These appointments were part of a broader strategy approved by Cabinet in December 2025 to procure specialist advisors to support the development of decarbonisation initiatives. The funding for these advisory services was to be drawn from the Green Heat Network Fund Commercialisation Grant, Community Infrastructure Levy, and S106 Carbon Offset Fund.

Exempt Items

Two items were listed as exempt from publication: PDN 29, concerning a Development Contributions Funding Agreement for Swyncombe Avenue Sports Ground, and PDN 30, relating to a New Lease at High Street, Brentford. Information regarding these items was not publicly available.