Issue - meetings

[Report of the Director of Housing, Regeneration and Planning. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Local Investment and Economic Growth]

This report relates to the Greater London Authority Good Growth Fund (GGF), which was launched in 2017. The Good Growth Fund is Mayor Sadiq Khan's £70 million regeneration programme to support growth and community development in London.

The Cabinet Member for Local Investment introduced the report which sought authority to enter into two grant agreements; one with the GLA in the event of the GGF bid being successful, and the other 3 with the London Borough of Tower Hamlets (accountable body for the SIP bid) to accept SIP grant funding.

Cabinet noted that the funding would unlock much-needed town centre and public realm improvement projects for Wood Green. It would create opportunities for local residents and businesses to become much more involved in and benefit from the regeneration of Wood Green through meaningful engagement, community empowerment, business training and participatory evaluation.

Since publication of the report, the GLA had announced that an in-principle approval has been granted in respect of the request for GLA funding for up to £972,500 of capital funding. This represented a shortfall of £870,000 from the Stage 2 GLA funding request. No formal explanation has been given as yet for the reduction in the grant awarded in the notification notice.

The Adaptive Wood Green programme comprised the following elements which are funded by GLA:

·           ‘Empower young people in the creation of youth space,’

·           Making Better Places – ‘Improving Air Quality’

·           Building skills and employability with ‘Changing Gears’

·           ‘Intensify the economy through Adaptive Town Centre strategy’

·           ‘High Street Community Civic Centre’.

Improving Air Quality projects GLA funding was also reduced from £520,000 to £400,000.

It was noted that the Turnpike Lane Project and the project management cost have been not been supported for funding by the GLA.

Officers would discuss the proposal with the GLA in detail and consider how the projects would be delivered. Therefore Cabinet are recommended to agree to:

• Accept the GLA grant allocation of £0.9725m; and to Vire £0.870m from the approved capital programme contingency.

Following discussion with Finance and the Cabinet Member for Finance and Strategic Regeneration, it was proposed to allocate £0.87m from the approved capital programme contingency. The approved capital programme contingency currently had an unallocated budget of £1.574m. The allocation from the contingency of £0.87m would reduce the contingency to £0.704m. Whilst this was a relatively small contingency for a capital programme of the size of the Haringey programme, it was very close to the end of the financial year and there are no other known calls on the contingency.

Following questions from Cllr Ogiehor, the following information was noted:

• The two schools to access funding from the improving air quality element of funding were expected to be Alexandra Park Primary, and Noel Park primary school and the other three schools were yet to be identified as set out in the report.
• With regards to the ratio of funding received in relation to population figures, the Council had received positive feedback on the bids and it was important to note that these were widely sought and contested bids in London. The general steer from the GLA was for the Council to focus resources on one single bid. Some Councils had took a risker approach  ...  view the full minutes text for item 204