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Corporate and Resources Committee - Thursday, 25 June 2026 - 7:30 pm
June 25, 2026 at 7:30 pm Corporate and Resources Committee View on council websiteSummary
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The Corporate and Resources Committee met on Thursday 25 June 2026, approving a new postal services contract and additional funding for the housing management system. The committee also noted the Council Plan End of Year Report for 2025/26 and recommended changes to health governance to re-establish a separate Health and Wellbeing Board.
Council Plan End of Year Report 2025/26
The committee noted the Council Plan End of Year Report for 2025/26, which detailed progress against the Council's priorities and actions set out in the Council Delivery Plan. Councillor Andreas Kirsch, Leader of the Council, highlighted achievements such as the launch of the Inclusive Kingston Strategy, the completion of the Small Sites programme delivering 101 new council homes, and the successful celebration of Kingston 2025. The committee also noted the newly published Local Outcomes Framework, with an update on performance against these measures to be presented in September.
Changes to Health Governance
The committee recommended to full council that a separate Health and Wellbeing Board be re-established for Kingston, with proposed amendments to the constitution to reflect this. The current Kingston Partnership Board will be disestablished. Authority was delegated to the Monitoring Officer to make any consequential amendments to the Constitution. Councillor Anita Schaper, Portfolio Holder for Communities, Commissioning, Customer Contact and Governance, clarified that a proposed special responsibility allowance for the Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board was not necessary as existing portfolio holders would chair the board.
Revenue and Capital Outturn Report 2025/26
The committee noted the outturn position for 2025/26, which showed a £0.62 million underspend in the General Fund revenue budget. The General Fund balance was noted at £19.63 million, with £49.85 million in General Fund Earmarked Reserves. A surplus of £2.36 million was noted on the Collection Fund, with the Council's share being £0.80 million. An overspend of £0.53 million was noted on the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), and a £12.266 million overspend on the Schools Budget due to pressures on high needs education. The capital outturn for 2025/26 showed an underspend of £36.17 million. The committee approved capital slippage requests and approved capital budgets for 2026/27 totalling £1.42 million for the Local Implementation Plan, £0.82 million for local highways maintenance and improvement, and £1.44 million for flood alleviation schemes for New Malden and Hook. Councillor Manish Shukla, Portfolio Holder for Finance and Assets, thanked officers for their work in achieving these financial outcomes, particularly highlighting the positive performance in adult social care and children's services.
Housing Management System Implementation: Request for Additional Funding
The committee noted the progress made on the implementation of the NEC Housing Management System and approved additional funding of £372,000 to deliver Phases 3 and 4 and scope Phase 5. Councillor Emily Davey, Portfolio Holder for Housing, highlighted the benefits of the integrated system for residents, including a digital portal for self-service. The committee also noted the intention to bring any further resource requests for Phase 5 back to the committee.
Leader of the Opposition Options
The committee considered options for the governance arrangements for the Council's political opposition following the May 2026 elections, which resulted in an equal split between minority opposition parties. After debate, the committee resolved that Option 1, maintaining the status quo, be adopted as the preferred option. This means the current constitutional provisions will continue to apply, requiring the opposition groups to agree on a single Leader of the Opposition.
Postal Services and Solutions Contract
The committee resolved to procure a new Postal Services and Solutions contract through participation in the Pan-London Postal Board collaborative mini-competition under the Crown Commercial Service Framework RM6280. Authority was delegated to the Director of Culture, Customer and Residents and the Portfolio Holder for Communities, Commissioning and Customer Contact to approve the final contract award. The contract will commence in September 2026 for a term of five years with an estimated total value of up to £1,950,000. Councillor Anita Schaper, Portfolio Holder for Communities, Commissioning, Customer Contact and Governance, noted the benefits of this collaborative approach in terms of economies of scale and reduced procurement burden.
Review of the Blue Badge Appeals Process
The committee approved the de-establishment of the current Member-led Blue Badge Appeals Panel process, subject to Full Council approval and necessary constitutional amendments, with implementation from 15 July 2026. Authority was delegated to the Executive Director of Residents and Communities to oversee the implementation of revised outsourced arrangements for the concessionary travel service. The committee also recommended to Council that the Blue Badge Appeals Panel be de-established and section 4.8 of Part 3A of the Council's Constitution be deleted. Councillor Anita Schaper emphasised that the changes aimed to create a more streamlined and efficient process for residents.
Soft FM (Cleaning and Porterage) - Contract Award
The committee approved the award of a contract for Soft FM services, including cleaning, pest control, fire alarm testing, and porterage, for a period of 3 years with a possible extension of 2 years. The total value of the contract is £7.51 million excluding VAT (£9.01 million including VAT). Councillor Manish Shukla, Portfolio Holder for Finance and Assets, noted that while the contract value was higher than the previous budget, it was in line with historic spend and would be managed within existing budgets.
Appointments to Outside Bodies 2026-30
The committee resolved that appointments be made to the organisations listed in Annex 1 for the period to the end of the 2029/30 Municipal Year. Councillor Anita Schaper highlighted the importance of these appointments for maintaining partnership working and the Council's community leadership role.
Temporary Accommodation - Special Purpose Vehicle Update
The committee resolved that the proposal to create a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to hold and lease housing to homeless households would no longer be taken forward. Instead, 150 properties to be purchased through the current approved capital budget will be held within the General Fund and used as temporary accommodation. Delegated authority was given to the Executive Director of Place, in consultation with the Section 151 Officer and the relevant Portfolio Holder, to purchase these properties. Councillor Emily Davey, Portfolio Holder for Housing, stated that this approach was simpler and more financially beneficial for the council.
Urgent Decision Taken under Procedure Rule 30 - Kingston Town Centre Hostile Vehicle Mitigation Capital Funding
The committee noted an urgent decision taken under Procedure Rule 30 regarding Kingston Town Centre Hostile Vehicle Mitigation Capital Funding. Councillor Andreas Kirsch explained that the decision was made due to the need to act quickly on a report identifying eight locations where appropriate protections were not in place, with long lead times for specialist equipment. Councillor James Giles raised concerns about the lack of detail in the report title, but the Director of Governance and Law clarified that the funding was for physical security measures, such as resistant bollards, to mitigate vehicle-as-a-weapon attacks.
The meeting was noted as being productive, with a lengthy agenda.
Delegated decisions linked to this meeting
Decision summaries below are AI-generated from the council’s published record. Check the council source or the full decision page before relying on them.
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Soft FM (Cleaning and Porterage) - Contract Award
Recommendations ApprovedThe Corporate and Resources Committee of Kingston upon Thames Council approved the award of a Soft FM contract on 25 June 2026. The contract is for three years with a possible two-year extension, valued at £7.51m excluding VAT, to provide cleaning, pest control, fire alarm testing, and porterage services for corporate property. The new contract will introduce a Computer Aided Facility Management (CAFM) system for planned and reactive work.
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Appointments to Outside Bodies 2026-30
Recommendations ApprovedThe Corporate and Resources Committee of Kingston upon Thames Council approved appointments to outside bodies on 25 June 2026. The committee resolved that appointments be made to organisations as set out in Annex 1 for the period to the end of the 2029/30 Municipal Year unless otherwise stated. This included appointing councillors to Kingston First and the Kingston Chamber of Commerce.
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Temporary Accommodation - Special Purpose Vehicle Update
Recommendations ApprovedThe Corporate and Resources Committee of Kingston upon Thames Council decided on 25/06/2026 to not proceed with creating a Special Purpose Vehicle for housing homeless households. The committee approved purchasing 150 properties for temporary accommodation to be held within the General Fund. Delegated authority was given to the Executive Director of Place, in consultation with the Section 151 Officer and relevant Portfolio Holder, to purchase these properties.
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Review of the Blue Badge Appeals Process
For DeterminationThe Corporate and Resources Committee of Kingston upon Thames Council decided on 25 June 2026 to approve the de-establishment of the current Member-led Blue Badge Appeals Panel process, subject to Full Council approval and constitutional amendments. Authority was delegated to the Executive Director of Residents and Communities to oversee revised outsourced arrangements for the concessionary travel service, including an updated review and assurance process.
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Postal Services and Solutions Contract
Recommendations ApprovedThe Corporate and Resources Committee of Kingston upon Thames Council approved recommendations on 25/06/2026. A new Postal Services and Solutions contract will be procured through a Pan-London Postal Board mini-competition under the Crown Commercial Service Framework RM6280. Authority is delegated to the Director of Culture, Customer and Residents and the Portfolio Holder for Communities, Commissioning and Customer Contact to approve the final contract award and enter into the contract, commencing September 2026 for five years with an estimated value of up to £1,950,000.
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Revenue and Capital Outturn Report 2025/26
Recommendations ApprovedThe Corporate and Resources Committee of Kingston upon Thames Council approved the Revenue and Capital Outturn Report for 2025/26 on 25 June 2026. The committee noted the General Fund underspend, General Fund balance, Collection Fund surplus, Housing Revenue Account overspend, Schools Budget overspend, and capital outturn underspend. They also approved capital slippage requests and capital budgets for the Local Implementation Plan, local highways maintenance and improvement, and Flood alleviation schemes.
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Leader of the Opposition Options
For DeterminationThe Corporate and Resources Committee of Kingston upon Thames Council decided on 25 June 2026 to adopt Option 1, the status quo, as the preferred option. This means the position of Leader of the Opposition remains vacant if opposition members cannot agree.
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Urgent Decision Taken under Procedure Rule 30 - Kingston Town Centre Hostile Vehicle Mitigation Capital Funding
Recommendations ApprovedThe Corporate and Resources Committee of Kingston upon Thames Council decided to approve capital funding for the Kingston Town Centre Hostile Vehicle Mitigation project on 25 June 2026. This urgent decision, made under Procedure Rule 30, allocated £1.76 million for materials, design, project management, and construction. The decision included using in-house resources for design and site supervision, with a project management secondment for the duration of the project.
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Housing Management System Implementation: Request for Additional Funding
Recommendations ApprovedThe Corporate and Resources Committee of Kingston upon Thames Council decided on 25/06/2026 to approve additional funding of £372k for the NEC Housing Management System. This funding will deliver Phases 3 and 4 and scope Phase 5 of the system. The committee also noted the progress made to date and the intention to bring any further resource requests for Phase 5 back to the committee.
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Council Plan End of Year Report 2025/26
Recommendations ApprovedThe Corporate and Resources Committee of Kingston upon Thames Council noted the Council Plan End of Year Report for 2025/26 and the newly published Local Outcomes Framework on 25 June 2026. An update on Council performance against the Local Outcomes Framework measures will be presented in September.
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Changes to Health Governance
Recommendations approvedThe Corporate and Resources Committee of Kingston upon Thames Council recommended to Council that a separate Health and Wellbeing Board be re-established and the current Kingston Partnership Board be disestablished on 25 June 2026. Authority was delegated to the Monitoring Officer to make consequential amendments to the Constitution.
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