Individuals linked to companies which won contracts to support DfE’s English Hubs initiative continued to serve on its overarching council –despite government document warnings on potential conflicts of interest

Two people linked to companies which won contracts to support the Department for Education’s English Hubs initiative continued to serve on the council overseeing this policy –despite the government having suggested they could be removed in such circumstances.

Before the council started work in 2019, the Department for Education had warned that any member of the council “cannot continue to supply another service as part of the English Hubs programme, with the exception of services paid for by hub schools for the schools they are supporting”.

The stipulation was set out in a document setting out the rules for those expressing an interest in serving as “reading experts” on the council, which since 2019 has overseen the DfE’s English Hubs initiative to improve phonics and wider literacy in primary schools.

In a section addressing the possibility of conflicts of interest, the document “Expression of Interest for members of the English Hubs council,” dated 2018, stated:

“Candidates with an actual or potential conflict of interest should set this out clearly in their application and the DfE will maintain a register of these for successful candidates.