Issue - meetings

Report of the Director for Housing, Regeneration and Planning. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for House Building, Place-Making and Development.

To approve entering into an agreement with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities to receive grant funding of £1,000,000 from the Estate Regeneration Fund to support the delivery of the Broadwater Farm Estate Improvement Programme.

At 7.36pm - Cllr Diakides entered the meeting and also declared a personal and non -pecuniary interest in item 14 as set out above.

The Cabinet Member for House Building, Place - Making and Development introduced the report which sought Cabinet approval to enter into an agreement with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to receive grant funding of £1,000,000 from the Estate Regeneration Fund to support the delivery of the Broadwater Farm Estate Improvement Programme.

It was noted that the Broadwater Estate Improvement Programme represented the largest investment in the estate’s history and would deliver on resident priorities, including circa. 300 new high quality Council homes, a safe and welcoming neighbourhood and more opportunities and services for residents.

The following information was provided in response to questions from Cllr Hakata, and Cllr Barnes.

-       Noted the aim of putting the local community at the heart of the design process for the new blocks replacing Tangmere and Northolt. The engagement process had started and would continue with translators supporting engagement in community languages to ensure all communities in the estate were involved. There was also a community design group already established and was seeking particular input from women and young people living on the estate. There were also community groups that enthusiastically wanted to be part of the plans for the design being engaged with.

-       With regards to any risk to funding, should the timetable slip or not report against the required milestones, there was no risk as the grant was covering capital funding already spent on acquiring homes in Tangmere and Northolt.

-       In response to the query about funding, if there was a ‘no vote’ outcome to the estate ballot, the Council would lose funding from the GLA which would mean no scheme and this would not be a good position for the Council or residents. The Council would be striving to ensure that residents were content with the scheme and the benefits offered.

            RESOLVED

1.          To approve the receipt (as provided for under Contract Standing Order (CSO) 17.1) from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities of £1,000,000 in capital funding through the Estate Regeneration Fund, to be used as a funding contribution towards the costs of leasehold acquisitions within the Tangmere and Northolt blocks.

2.          To approve that the grant sum is added to the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Budget.

Reasons for decision

The decision to accept the grant would support the delivery of the Broadwater Estate Improvement Programme which is expected to deliver circa. 300 new high quality Council homes, a safe and welcoming neighbourhood and more opportunities and services for residents.

Alternative Options Considered

The Council could decline the grant allocation. This option was rejected because the Broadwater programme is a demanding scheme in terms of viability and the level of funding required to fully implement the programme. The £1,000,000 of capital funding from DLUHC’s Estate Regeneration Fund will assist the Council to proceed to deliver the programme.