A Westminster Council Education Scrutiny Committee held on 26 April has heard that there are serious questions to be answered about governance at the Future Academies Trust responsible for Pimlico Academy. This is the same school at the centre of allegations of discriminatory uniform practice. Councillors raised concerns about the number of trustees, their relationship to one another and the lack of accountability. The Consolidated Annual Report and Financial Statements for Future Academies, show there are just 5 trustees, including Lord Nash, his wife Lady Nash, and the CEO of Future Academies. The Audit Committee solely consists of Lord and Lady Nash.

Cllr Tim Roca, Westminster Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Member for Young People and Learning, said: “Is it really appropriate for a chain spending £41m of public money to have a finance and audit committee made up of two people who are married to each other? To have just 5 trustees overall, two whom are partners, and a third who is in fact the CEO is deeply troubling. It’s time for the Department for Education to step in decisively and restore faith in the school and its governance.”