RESOLVED :

That Cabinet agreed:

1. To allocate £882,210 Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy and £166,000 Community Climate Action Funding, in line with Merton Council’s approved criteria, to recommended bids summarised in Appendix A covering: a) 25 bids received through the 2023 Civic Pride - Investing in Neighbourhoods and Community Climate Action Funds bidding round; and

b) two top-up allocations of Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy Funding to successful bids from the 2021 and 2022 bidding rounds.

2. To approve the award of funding being subject to:

a) any conditions shown against each bid recommended for approval in Appendix B; and

b) due diligence being carried out to ascertain the appropriateness of grants under the Subsidy Control Act 2022 and other relevant powers and policies applicable to the award of funding by the council to external organisations.

3. To delegate authority to the Executive Director, Housing and Sustainable Development in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Civic Pride to make any amendments to Civic Pride Investing in Neighbourhoods funding bid amounts recommended for approval, in line with Merton Council’s approved criteria;

4. To allocate £370,000 Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy Funding to support the implementation the Councillors’ Ward Allocation Scheme from April 2024 to March 2026.

The Cabinet Member for Civic Pride presented the report which outlined how just over £1m would be spent. A range of ideas had been attracted and the Climate Action Funding was being launched at the same time. The Cabinet Member thanked all applicants for their submissions and officers who had assessed the bids. 25 new projects would be able to be funded and top up funding provided to previously some supported projects as detailed within the report.

The Cabinet Member for Local Environment, Greenspaces and Climate Change outlined some of the projects and thanked all for the bids.

RESOLVED :

That Cabinet agreed:

1. To allocate £882,210 Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy and £166,000 Community Climate Action Funding, in line with Merton Council’s approved criteria, to recommended bids summarised in Appendix A covering: a) 25 bids received through the 2023 Civic Pride - Investing in Neighbourhoods and Community Climate Action Funds bidding round; and

b) two top-up allocations of Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy Funding to successful bids from the 2021 and 2022 bidding rounds.

2. To approve the award of funding being subject to:

a) any conditions shown against each bid recommended for approval in Appendix B; and

b) due diligence being carried out to ascertain the appropriateness of grants under the Subsidy Control Act 2022 and other relevant powers and policies applicable to the award of funding by the council to external organisations.

3. To delegate authority to the Executive Director, Housing and Sustainable Development in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Civic Pride to make any amendments to Civic Pride Investing in Neighbourhoods funding bid amounts recommended for approval, in line with Merton Council’s approved criteria;

4. To allocate £370,000 Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy Funding to support the implementation the Councillors’ Ward Allocation Scheme from April 2024 to March 2026.