The Ealing Council Cabinet met on 3 September 2025, and agreed to extend the school meal service contract, address fire remediation in high-rise buildings, and renew the borough-wide Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO). They also discussed and approved a corporate peer challenge action plan, budget updates, and school place provisions.

Public Spaces Protection Order

The cabinet approved the renewal of the existing borough-wide Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) for three years until 14 September 2028. The PSPO targets anti-social behaviour in public spaces, and the decision was made after considering an evidence base and consultation with residents.

A report considered by the cabinet noted that since its introduction in 2019, 494 fixed penalty notices have been issued for breaches of the PSPO, with 51 people prosecuted for non-payment or repeated breaches.

The PSPO addresses behaviours such as:

• Street drinking where it is associated with anti-social behaviour
• Urinating and spitting in public places
• Failure to extinguish cigarettes properly
• Drug use
• Aggressive begging
• Obstruction of entrances and exits
• Fly-tipping
• Irresponsible dog ownership

Councillor Jasbir Anand, Cabinet Member for Tackling Crime and Antisocial Behaviour, said the PSPO is designed to enhance public spaces so they can be enjoyed by everyone.

The report acknowledged concerns raised in the consultation about the impact on vulnerable groups, such as homeless people and those with addiction issues, and stated that enforcement should be proportionate, with a focus on engagement and support.

School Meal Service

The cabinet authorised the extension of the existing contract with ISS Mediclean Limited for school meal services in primary and special schools for one year, from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027. The extension is fully funded from schools' budgets, parental income, government grants, and the Mayor of London's Universal Free School Meals programme.

The cabinet also authorised the Assistant Director Planning, Resources and Service Development to procure a new contract for school meal services, either independently or in collaboration with other London boroughs, for a three-year initial period, with the option to extend for two more years, commencing on the expiry of the current contract. The total contract value is approximately £55 million.

School Places and Special Educational Needs

The cabinet approved several measures related to school places and provision for pupils with special educational needs (SEN). These included:

• Increasing the capacity of John Chilton School to 160 places, effective from 1 September 2026.
• Establishing a 36-place Specialist Resourced Provision (SRP) at Grange Primary School, with a phased intake starting in September 2026.
• Establishing a 36-place SRP at Lady Margaret Primary School, conditional on planning permission, with a phased intake starting in September 2026.
• Procuring contracts for works at John Chilton School, Grange Primary School, Lady Margaret Primary School, and St Ann's School.

The cabinet also approved a £5.812 million capital budget increase for the Schools SEN Expansion capital programme, funded by High Needs capital allocations grant.

Fire Remediation Works

The cabinet agreed to procure contracts for specialist fire remediation contractors through a Fire Remedial Works Framework Agreement to support a rolling works programme for higher-risk buildings (HRBs). They also delegated authority to the Strategic Director Housing and Environment to award the call-off contracts.

This decision was made to comply with the Building Safety Act 2022, which places new duties on the council as a landlord of residential homes, including registering all higher-risk buildings (seven storeys and above) and undertaking fire safety improvements.

HRB and M&E Support Services

The cabinet agreed to procure contracts to appoint consultants to deliver multi-disciplinary technical consultancy services through a Multi-disciplinary Consultancy Framework Agreement, also in support of a rolling works programme for higher-risk buildings. They delegated authority to the Strategic Director Housing and Environment to award call-off contracts following mini-competitions.

This decision was also made to comply with the Building Safety Act 2022.

Budget Update

The cabinet noted the estimated General Fund forecast underspend of £2.084 million (0.64%) and the Housing Revenue Account forecast overspend of £1.726 million for 2025/26. They also noted the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) forecast deficit of £10.306 million.

The cabinet approved the re-profiling of the 2025/26 capital programme of £275.020 million, the decommissioning of £7.888 million of capital schemes, and an additional capital programme budget of £4.621 million for Disabled Facilities Grant, fully funded by grant.

An additional capital programme budget of £0.783 million was approved for capital investment into one or more towns, to support key growth sectors set out in the Jobs and Skills Strategy, fully funded by grant.

Councillor Louise Brett, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Safe and Genuinely Affordable Homes, expressed the leadership's support for the council's work with respect to Ealing being a Borough of Sanctuary.

Housing Improvement Digital Programme

The cabinet approved the business case for the Housing Improvement Digital Programme capital scheme and a capital budget totalling £2.157 million, funded by a budget virement of £0.726 million from the existing Housing Revenue Account Asset Management capital budget and a new General Fund budget of £0.798 million funded from general fund revenue reserves.

Agency Worker Contract

The cabinet agreed to enter into a new contract with Adecco UK Limited for the provision of agency workers for an initial period of two years, with the option to extend for a further two periods of 24 months each (2+2+2 years), following a mini-competition under the Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO) Framework Agreement for Managed Services for Temporary Agency Resources (MSTAR4) Lot 1(b) (Master Vendor).

Corporate Peer Challenge

The cabinet noted the Corporate Peer Challenge Review report and approved the action plan attached as Appendix 2 of the Corporate Peer Challenge report and action plan. They agreed that progress against this plan would be reported alongside the quarterly Key Performance Indicators until complete.

Councillor Peter Mason, Leader of Ealing Council, thanked the LGA peer team and Ealing's officer and political leadership for their work on the LGA Corporate Peer Challenge.