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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.