Agenda item

Report of the Corporate Director of Culture, Strategy and Communities. To be presented by the Cabinet Member for Placemaking & Local Economy.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST MADE FOR THIS ITEM:

None

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.    Approved the acceptance of grant of £1.5m from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in accordance with Contract Standing Order (CSO) 21.01, which required Cabinet approval to accept third?party grants of £500,000 and above.

2.    Approved the increased the approved General Fund capital programme by £1.5m to deliver the schemes set out in section 6 of the report.

3.    Delegated authority to the Corporate Director of Culture, Strategy and Communities to vary the schemes and budgets within the overall grant received.

Reasons for decision:

This investment provided a unique opportunity for the Council to deliver not only on its own corporate priorities but also on the priorities of local people and stakeholders. These priorities had been identified and developed through extensive engagement as part of Shaping Tottenham and Shaping Wood Green, in alignment with the principles outlined within the Haringey Deal.

Alongside physical improvements across the borough, delivering against these priorities built on previous engagement, strengthened relationships between the Council and local people, amplified the needs and voices of seldom?heard communities and enhanced civic pride across the borough.

Approval to accept the grant enabled the Council to begin project delivery and start spending the allocated funding. As the funding carried a spend deadline of March 2027, it was essential that expenditure commenced as soon as possible to ensure that the deadline could be met.

It was likely that unspent funds would need to be repaid to the funder, and approval to accept the funding in February 2026 reduced the risk of this occurring in March 2027.

The first tranche of funding had been received in October 2025 when the Memorandum of Understanding was signed and was being held in a holding account. Approval to accept the grant enabled the funds to be allocated to the relevant project areas so that expenditure could begin.

The allocation against each project was indicative at this stage, and project proposals were high?level and subject to further scoping and refinement. Delegating authority to the Corporate Director of Culture, Strategy and Communities to vary the schemes and budgets within the overall grant allowed any required changes to be made as more detailed information emerged during the process of project refinement.

Alternative options considered:

Do nothing – This option would have resulted in the funding being repaid to MHCLG. The shortlisted projects would not have been delivered, and the opportunity to deliver Council and stakeholder priorities would have been lost.

Make a decision at a later date – The MHCLG funding carried a spend deadline of March 2027. Although shortlisted projects were pre?selected partly on the basis that they could be delivered within this timeframe, a Cabinet decision in February 2026 was required to mitigate the risk of delays and ensure the deadline could be met.

Fund projects using Council borrowing – The Council was not in a financial position to fund these projects itself. Delivery was contingent on receiving grant funding from MHCLG’s Pride in Place programme.