Wandsworth Council has admitted it used no environmental scoring criteria when awarding a £775,186 contract to lease diesel vans – despite publicly committing to sustainable procurement and net zero goals.
In a new Freedom of Information (FOI) response released this week, the council confirmed that the contract for 24 large commercial vehicles was awarded 100% on cost, with no weighting given to emissions, carbon impact, or fuel type.
This follows a Putney.News investigation, which revealed that the council had quietly extended its diesel fleet contract, signing off on 11 Ford Transits and 13 Renault Traffics, while downplaying the decision and delaying public disclosure for weeks.
Five bids, one winner—and no green evaluation
The council now confirms that five suppliers submitted quotes under the Crown Commercial Services Lot 1 framework. However, all bids were assessed using a single criterion: lowest price.
There was no formal scoring of environmental or sustainability factors. The only requirement was that vehicles meet Euro 6 emissions standards – a basic compliance threshold already mandated for most new diesel vehicles sold in the UK.
The deal sits awkwardly against the council’s own self-congratulatory climate PR. Just weeks after quietly awarding the £775,000 contract, Wandsworth issued a press release boasting it had been ranked among the top five councils nationwide for climate action by Climate Emergency UK.
The statement trumpeted progress on sustainable transport, emissions reduction, and even a commitment to decarbonising its own operations. Yet the fleet procurement documents – secured only through a delayed FOI – reveal no environmental scoring was used in the contract decision at all. For a council supposedly “charging ahead” toward net zero, it’s a stark example of climate spin outpacing climate substance.
The council also confirmed the lease includes no option for future vehicle ownership, and that all suppliers under the framework were invited to quote.
Quotes were received on 19 February 2025. The contract was awarded on 5 May; four days before the decision was formally signed off behind closed doors.
Climate promises unravel
The council’s admission directly undermines its own stated policies. In its Climate Action Plan 2024, Wandsworth Council pledged to:
- Transition its fleet to low and zero-emission vehicles
- Embed low-carbon procurement practices
- Work toward carbon neutrality by 2030
It also signed the West London Alliance Low Carbon Procurement Policy, which commits member councils to factor environmental impacts into purchasing decisions—including for fleet contracts.
But none of that shaped this decision. There was no attempt to apply climate principles in the actual scoring.
No infrastructure, no plan – and precious little transparency
Officers previously defended the diesel deal by citing a lack of EV charging points at the council depot and uncertainty about the depot’s future. They also claimed electric vehicles were inefficient and faced long lead times.
Yet no clear plan for building that infrastructure has been presented. And while the council continues to speak of its net zero ambitions, its own procurement choices now tell a very different story.
Even the FOI process surrounding the fleet decision has been poor. The original request was answered 42 working days late, and key information – including bid comparisons and environmental assessments – was redacted or missing. The latest admissions were only secured after a second, follow-up request.
A pattern of promises without delivery
This latest twist adds weight to growing concerns that Wandsworth’s climate goals exist mostly on paper, with little evidence of implementation in major decisions.
Despite declaring a climate emergency in 2019, the council’s refusal to meaningfully consider electric alternatives, even in a competitive bidding process, suggests a wider disconnect between rhetoric and action.
What began as a vehicle lease is now a test case for something bigger: can a council claiming to lead on climate still justify carbon-blind procurement in 2025?
So far, Wandsworth Council’s answer appears to be yes.
