I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and, where the information relates to land, property, housing, temporary accommodation, leases or environmental information, under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.
This request concerns any dealings between the council and the following entities, together referred to in this request as “the Phi entities”:
1. Phi Property Acquisitions Limited, company number 16166674;
2. PCI (2025) Limited, company number 08978751, formerly Phi Capital Investments Limited;
3. Phi Works Limited, company number 13815511;
4. Phi Technology Solutions Limited, company number 16191210;
5. Simply Phi / SimplyPhi; and
6. any connected, successor or associated entity trading under the “Phi” name.
Please provide the information held from 1 January 2023 to the date of your response.
Where I refer below to the Council “becoming aware” of a matter, I am asking only for information the Council holds. I am not asserting that any such matter exists.
For context, and to assist you in identifying relevant records, Phi Property Acquisitions Limited is the subject of a winding-up petition in the Insolvency and Companies Court, case number CR-2026-002637, petitioner HMRC, presented 2 April 2026. I refer to this only as a matter of public record and make no assertion as to its outcome.
1. Dealings with the Phi entities
Please confirm whether the Council has had any contract, appointment, framework arrangement, lease, property transaction, housing or temporary accommodation arrangement, management or consultancy arrangement, software arrangement, or other commercial dealing with any of the Phi entities.
For each dealing, please provide:
a. the entity name;
b. the start and end dates;
c. the department or service area;
d. a short description of the arrangement; e. the current status; and f. the total contract value, estimated value or spend to date.
2. Contracts and formal documents
Please provide copies of any contracts, appointment letters, heads of terms, purchase orders, leases, management agreements, consultancy or software agreements, and any variation, novation, assignment, suspension, termination or settlement documents relating to any Phi entity.
3. Advance payments or payments before full delivery Please confirm whether the Council has at any time paid, agreed to pay, authorised, considered, or been asked to pay any Phi entity in advance of full delivery.
This includes any payment described as an advance payment, deposit, payment on account, mobilisation payment, prepayment, milestone payment, reservation fee, retainer, float, working capital support or any similar arrangement.
If so, please provide:
a. the relevant Phi entity;
b. the amount;
c. the date paid or proposed;
d. the stated reason;
e. whether the deliverables were subsequently delivered in full; and f. whether the Council obtained any protection, such as an advance payment bond, performance bond, retention, guarantee, escrow, set-off right, clawback provision or other security.
If no such payment was made, agreed, authorised, considered or requested, please confirm this expressly.
4. Bonds, warranties, guarantees and security
Please provide copies of any warranties, guarantees, bonds, collateral warranties, defects liability provisions, retentions, set-off rights, clawback provisions or other protections obtained by the Council in relation to any Phi arrangement.
Please also confirm whether any such protection has been called, claimed against, waived, varied, novated, assigned, reduced or has expired.
5. Information held on insolvency, HMRC and successor-entity matters Please confirm the date, if any, on which the Council first recorded or became aware of information relating to:
a. any HMRC action concerning a Phi entity; b. the administration of Phi Capital Investments Limited / PCI (2025) Limited; c. the winding-up petition concerning Phi Property Acquisitions Limited, case number CR-2026-002637; d. any proposed novation, assignment, business transfer or continuation of services between Phi entities; and e. any financial standing concern relating to any Phi entity.
For each, please state what action the Council took, if any.
6. Risk mitigation
If and when the Council recorded or became aware of any of the matters in section 5, please confirm what risk mitigation it considered or implemented before continuing any relationship, making any payment, agreeing any novation or assignment, or entering into any arrangement with a successor or connected entity.
This includes whether the Council considered or required:
a. updated financial standing or insolvency checks; b. legal, procurement, finance or audit advice; c. suspension of payments or services pending review; d. a prohibition on advance payments; e. bonds, retentions, escrow, guarantees or other security; f. confirmation that warranties and contractual protections remained enforceable; g. a continuity or replacement supplier plan; or h. senior officer, member or Cabinet approval.
If no such mitigation was considered or implemented, please provide any internal record explaining why not.
7. Due diligence and approvals
Please provide copies of any due diligence, Companies House or credit checks, financial standing or risk assessments, legal or procurement advice summaries, internal audit notes, officer briefings, delegated authority approvals, Cabinet or committee reports, or decision records relating to:
a. entering into or continuing any Phi arrangement; b. making payments after any financial concern was recorded; c. dealing with a successor or replacement entity; or d. deciding whether security was required.
8. Current or proposed dealings
Please confirm whether the Council has any current, proposed, paused or under-discussion arrangement with Phi Property Acquisitions Limited or any successor or connected Phi entity.
If so, please provide:
a. the nature of the arrangement;
b. expected value;
c. approval and procurement route;
d. due diligence undertaken;
e. safeguards required; and
f. whether legal, procurement, finance, audit, senior officers or members have been consulted.
9. Correspondence and internal briefings Please provide copies of substantive correspondence, reports, meeting notes or internal briefings from 1 January 2024 onwards referring to any of the matters in sections 3 to 8 above in relation to a Phi entity.
This includes, where held, correspondence with other local authorities, insolvency practitioners, legal advisers, auditors, landlords, funders, managing agents or property owners.
10. Property, housing or temporary accommodation schemes Please confirm whether any Phi entity has been involved in any Council housing, temporary accommodation, homelessness, property acquisition, leasing, property management, refurbishment, repairs or software programme.
If so, please provide:
a. the name or description of the programme; b. the number of properties or units or licenses (for software programme); d. the role of the Phi entity; and e. whether the arrangement remains live, paused, terminated or under review.
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I am not seeking personal data relating to tenants, residents or service users. Please redact personal data where necessary.
11. Format and exemptions
Please provide the information electronically and if possible in an excel format.
If the Council holds no information for any part of this request, please confirm this expressly.
Where any exemption or exception is relied upon, please identify it, explain why it applies, and provide all reasonably segregable non-exempt information.
12. Cost limit and priority order
If the Council considers this request exceeds the appropriate cost limit, please provide advice and assistance under section 16 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and answer in the following priority order:
1. current or proposed dealings with Phi Property Acquisitions Limited; 2. contracts and formal appointment documents; 3. whether any advance payments or payments before full delivery were made, agreed, authorised, considered or requested; 4. whether any bonds, warranties, guarantees, retentions, escrow, set-off or clawback provisions were obtained; 5. information held on insolvency, HMRC, novation or continuation-of-service matters; 6. risk mitigation records; 7. due diligence and approval records; 8. property, housing and temporary accommodation programme information; 9. broader correspondence.
Please provide whatever can be supplied within the cost limit and advise how the remainder could be refined without losing the substance of the request.