Property partners, contracts & payment arrangements
Case reference FOI2026/02072
Received 29 September 2026
Published 27 October 2026
Request
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, could you please provide the following information:
1. Existing contract-register entries or schedules showing provider name, contracting authority, service, agreement reference, start and end dates and recorded value.
2. The latest existing report or schedule showing the Council's ownership interest and nominated board representatives in any such company or joint venture, dividends or profit distributions received in the latest completed financial year, and any recorded declarations of interest relating to those representatives and these arrangements.
3. The relevant agreement clauses or fee schedules showing fixed fees, disposal commissions, success fees, uplift shares or other outcome-linked payments for those services. If no such provision is held, please say so.
Response
Thank you for your recent request under the Freedom of Information Act.
Please find the response to your queries below:
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, could you please provide the following information:
1. Existing contract-register entries or schedules showing provider name, contracting authority, service, agreement reference, start and end dates and recorded value.
This information is published on our website and is available via the following link:
https://www.guildford.gov.uk/DoingbusinesswithGBC
As such, the information you require can be found from publicly available sources and consequentially under Section 21 of the Act, we are not required to provide information in response to a request if it is already reasonably accessible.
2. The latest existing report or schedule showing the Council's ownership interest and nominated board representatives in any such company or joint venture, dividends or profit distributions received in the latest completed financial year, and any recorded declarations of interest relating to those representatives and these arrangements.
Guildford Borough Council is the ultimate parent of two wholly owned subsidiaries, Guildford Borough Council Holdings Ltd and North Downs Housing Ltd.
The accounts of these entities are prepared in accordance with applicable company law and accounting standards and are consolidated with the Council's accounts in accordance with the Code of Practice on Local Authority Accounting in the United Kingdom. Further details are provided in section 1.22 of the 2025-26 annual accounts, which are publicly available via the following link:
https://www.guildford.gov.uk/statementofaccounts
Please also note that page 59 refers to the companies that Guildford Borough Council has a shareholding in.
Additionally, Councillor Tom Hunt has an interest in Guildford Borough Holdings Ltd and the Council can confirm that he has disclosed this interest as required – this information can be found via the following links:
https://www.guildford.gov.uk/article/25545/Borough-councillors
https://democracy.guildford.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?bcr=1
https://democracy.guildford.gov.uk/mgDeclarationSubmission.aspx?UID=1466&HID=724&FID=0&HPID=45181788
https://democracy.guildford.gov.uk/ieIssueDetails.aspx?IId=19033&PlanId=0&Opt=3#AI17146
https://opencouncil.network/councils/guildford/decisions/169262
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/10152910
Various reports are also available regarding Guildford Borough Council Holdings Ltd and can be found via the following links:
https://democracy.guildford.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=42057
https://democracy.guildford.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?AIId=18128
Additionally information specifically relating to North Downs Housing Ltd is also available via the following links:
https://democracy.guildford.gov.uk/documents/s7202/Item%2007%20-%20North%20Downs%20Housing%20Ltd.pdf
https://democracy.guildford.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=35174
https://democracy.guildford.gov.uk/documents/s35811/Capital%20budget%20report%202025-26.pdf
https://democracy.guildford.gov.uk/documents/s42068/NDH%20Accounts%20Update%20DRAFT.pdf
https://democracy.guildford.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=43843
https://democracy.guildford.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=45643
Agenda items related to North Downs Housing Ltd can are also publicly available via the following websites:
https://democracy.guildford.gov.uk/mgAi.aspx?ID=7748
https://democracy.guildford.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=3967
https://democracy.guildford.gov.uk/ieIssueDetails.aspx?IId=17750&Opt=3
https://democracy.guildford.gov.uk/mgIssueHistoryHome.aspx?IId=22645
https://democracy.guildford.gov.uk/ieIssueDetails.aspx?IId=20309&PlanId=0&Opt=3
Financial monitoring and outturn reports can be found via the following links:
https://democracy.guildford.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=4742
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/10153122/officers
I have also attached a copy of North Downs Housing Ltd’s business plan for 2016 to 2046.
As such, the information you require can be found from publicly available sources and consequentially under Section 21 of the Act, we are not required to provide information in response to a request if it is already reasonably accessible.
3. The relevant agreement clauses or fee schedules showing fixed fees, disposal commissions, success fees, uplift shares or other outcome-linked payments for those services. If no such provision is held, please say so.
The Council controls North Downs Housing Ltd and its parent company Guildford Borough Council Holdings Ltd through its ownership of 100% of the shares of Guildford Borough Council Holdings Ltd.
The Council invests in North Downs Housing Ltd through a mixture of share equity (40%) and a 25-year secure variable rate loan (60%) at initial interest rate of Bank of England base rate plus 5%. The finance is used to purchase residential property within the borough.
At 31 March 2025, the Council had invested a total of £25.3 million (£25.3 million, in 2023-24) in North Downs Housing, maintaining the funding ratio of loan to equity investment of 60:40. Shares in the parent company, Guildford Borough Council Holdings Ltd, at 31 March 2025 totalled £10.2million (£10.2 million in 2023-24), with the company continuing to own 100% of the share capital of North Downs Housing Ltd.
At 31 March 2025, the Council had invested a total of £25.3 million in North Downs Housing Ltd, maintaining a funding ratio of loan to equity investment of 60:40 loan to equity investment. The Council's investment in Guildford Borough Council Holdings Ltd totalled £10.2 million.
The Council provides property management and administrative services to North Downs Housing Ltd, to help run their day to day activities.
Yours sincerely
FOI Team
Guildford Borough Council
Documents
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