A national government department has reversed its refusal to disclose how £7.5 million in public funding is being spent on five Wandsworth council buildings, but the council itself still refuses to explain its own £3.3 million contribution.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) disclosed the detailed technology breakdown on 22 December after Putney.news challenged its commercial sensitivity refusal through an internal review. The disclosure vindicates our August investigation which questioned why public bodies were hiding spending details for a major taxpayer-funded climate project.
But Wandsworth Council continues to withhold the same information, claiming it would harm procurement, even though the government department that awarded the grant has now published the figures in the interest of “transparency and accountability.”
The victory
DESNZ Director Rob Hewitt reversed the department’s initial refusal following our internal review request in November. His decision letter states: “The primary reason for reversing the decision is that releasing the requested information allows the public to see how funding is being allocated across different technologies and workstreams, supporting transparency and accountability for taxpayers’ money.”
The disclosed data reveals how the government money breaks down across different green technologies:
| Technology | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air source heat pumps | £4,288,452 | 57% |
| Roof insulation | £1,184,125 | 16% |
| Cavity wall insulation | £480,799 | 6% |
| Solar PV | £473,908 | 6% |
| Building energy management | £395,959 | 5% |
| Double glazing | £220,214 | 3% |
| LED lighting | £72,417 | 1% |
| Other measures | £90,397 | 1% |
| Total | £7,205,829 | 100% |
More than half the technology budget, £4.3 million, goes to air source heat pumps, while insulation improvements receive just £1.2 million and solar panels get £474,000.
Putney Leisure Centre receives more than half the grant, £3.85 million, which is more than the other four buildings combined. Wandsworth Town Hall gets £2.8 million (37%), while three smaller facilities share just £842,000 between them: Oakdene Residential Unit (£429,000), Falcon Grove (£243,000), and Gwynneth Morgan Day Centre (£170,000). The total grant allocation is £7.5 million.
The project must complete by 31 March 2028.
The hypocrisy
Wandsworth Council claimed identical information was “commercially sensitive” when we requested it in September. When we challenged this through an internal review in November, the council’s FOI Team Leader simply replied: “Wandsworth Council maintains our stance on the commercial sensitivity of the requested information.”
We wrote back pointing out their response violated the Freedom of Information Act Code of Practice, which requires a “fair and thorough review” with “fresh assessment” of where the public interest lies. The council replied: “We have nothing to add.”
The council claimed disclosure would “undermine the Council’s ability to secure best value for money” and harm “commercial negotiations and procurement outcomes.” They promised the information would “be made available once the procurement process is complete,” somewhere between July and September 2026.
Yet the government department that actually awarded the funding has now concluded that transparency outweighs commercial sensitivity, a direct contradiction of Wandsworth’s position.
The technical concerns
The disclosed breakdown reveals that 57% of the technology budget (£4.3 million) is allocated to air source heat pumps, while only 16% (£1.2 million) goes to insulation improvements and 6% (£474,000) to solar panels.
Building energy experts typically recommend prioritising insulation in older buildings before installing heat pumps, as poor thermal performance can significantly reduce heat pump efficiency. Putney Leisure Centre, built in 1968, falls well below modern insulation standards. Buildings from that era have thermal performance 6-10 times worse than today’s requirements.
Real-world heat pump performance in UK public buildings often falls short of manufacturer specifications, with average efficiency (Coefficient of Performance) measured at 2.0-2.2 compared to the 3.5+ needed for heat pumps to match gas heating costs. In poorly insulated buildings, these efficiency figures deteriorate further.
Other councils receiving Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) funding have taken different approaches. Calderdale’s £5.1 million project for four buildings (including two swimming pools) combines heat pumps with substantial LED lighting upgrades. Southwark’s £9.98 million for six buildings includes water source heat pumps, enhanced insulation, and new double glazing alongside air source heat pumps.
Without the detailed project specifications Wandsworth continues to withhold, residents cannot assess whether this technology mix is appropriate for a 1960s building or whether the council has adequately addressed insulation deficits before installing expensive heating systems.
What’s still secret
The council still refuses to disclose how its £3.3 million contribution is allocated across the five buildings, or why Putney Leisure Centre receives 51% of the government grant, more than the other four buildings combined. Project delivery schedules and timelines remain secret, as does the actual procurement status despite the council claiming procurement is “ongoing” seven months after the project was announced. The council has also withheld any project planning documents, business cases, or cost-benefit analyses.
A £299,000 discrepancy also remains unexplained. The per-building total (£7.5m) exceeds the technology total (£7.2m) by this amount, suggesting project management fees, consultancy costs, or contingency budgets that haven’t been disclosed.
The wider pattern
This refusal fits a pattern documented by Putney.news across multiple accountability issues: waste collection contract performance showing a 189% spike in complaints alongside a 92% reduction in contractor penalties, missing rental property licensing enforcement data, Cabinet decision-making processes that serves as meaningless theatre, and a 253% surge in complaints against the Chief Executive’s Group.
Wandsworth’s average FOI response time is 34 days, 14 days beyond the statutory 20-day deadline.
Next Steps
Putney.news has filed a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office regarding both the council’s sham internal review process and the substantive refusal to disclose information that the government department has now published.
We also submitted parallel FOI requests to Salix Finance, which administers PSDS grants on behalf of DESNZ. Salix initially refused similar information, claiming they “do not hold” the per-building breakdown despite being the grant administrator. Their internal review is due by 12 January 2026.
Wandsworth Council was asked to comment on why it maintains commercial sensitivity claims when DESNZ has disclosed the same information for transparency reasons, whether it will now voluntarily disclose its £3.3 million contribution breakdown, why its May 2025 press release stated the grant was £4.7 million when the actual allocation was £7.5 million, and why Putney Leisure Centre receives such a disproportionate share of the funding.
The council had not responded by the time of publication.
Putney.news will examine the technical concerns about the heat pump-heavy technology mix in a follow-up investigation.
Wow. The Leisure Centre needs a total refurb. £3.3m is a lot of money to invest in a building that isn’t in great shape. The pool and the locker rooms need an upgrade. Energy efficiency is important but I do wonder if a more comprehensive renovation would have made sense.