The North Cheam, Stonecot and Worcester Park Local Committee met to discuss local funding opportunities, winter preparedness, and to hear presentations from community organisations. The meeting was also scheduled to include a public question time.

Local Funding Update

The committee was scheduled to discuss various funding opportunities available in Sutton. These included:

• The Neighbourhood Fund: This fund can be used for both physical improvements and community projects. A public consultation on which projects should receive funding was open until 16 November. Projects bidding for funding included:
  • Cuddington Rec Multi-use Play Unit: Top-up funding of £36,000 for the project to replace the existing dilapidated MPU¹ and install safety surfacing.
  • Revitalising Worcester Park Library's Community Pocket Garden: £5,000 for improving soil quality, replacing deteriorating edging, planting diverse perennial plants, installing seating and organising community events at Worcester Park Library.
  • Quickdraw History Comics: £5,200 for a series of British history-themed comic-style drawing workshops at Whitehall Historic House, based on its collection of historic objects.
  • Whitehall Welcomes: An Accessible & Engaging Future: £85,236 for Sutton Council and Nickel Support developing Whitehall House to serve as a hub for community wellbeing and special educational needs opportunities.
  • Other events bidding for funding included a second annual Sutton literary festival, a community film production to tell stories about the ecology of the borough, a music festival combining Western and South East Asian classical cultures, and a summer festival of reading and culture for school children.
• Sutton Community Fund: This fund is administered by Community Action Sutton (CAS) and funded by Sutton Council. Only Charity, Faith and Community groups with an income of less than £100,000 can apply for up to £5,000.
• Local Committee Funding (neighbourhood grants): Groups can apply for up to £1,400 from local committees for community events and projects. £3,420 had been awarded to date in 2025/26, with £2,080 remaining to allocate. Projects supported in 2025/26 to date included: Monday Club- Royal British Legion Social Club Worcester Park, Ruskin Drive Friends & Residents Big Lunch, St Raphael's Hospice Volunteer Celebration Day, Radio St Helier Live from the Care Home, and Royal British Legion Worcester Park Remembrance Sunday costs of piper, trumpeter and PA system.

• Local Committee Public Realm Funding: This is a rolling funding programme to improve local public spaces. £19,660.00 had been committed to projects in 2025/26, with £43,835.89 remaining available.

  Projects in progress included:
  

  • New Bins on Buckland Way
  • New Perennial Plants
  • 2 New Entrance signs on Hamilton Ave
  • Fairlands Park Inclusive play equipment
  • Fairlands Park Paved Circle Refurbishment
  • Hamptons boardwalk improvements - Pigs Alley
  • New Bench in Yardley Rec

• Other projects listed for funding included:

  • Cuddington Rec Playground Improvements: £30,000 to upgrade the playground including replacing dilapidated multi use unit and the old play panels.
  • Inclusive Play Equipment at Fairlands Park: £27,100 for a replacement wheelchair accessible roundabout and additional bench seating.
  • Ridge Road Allotments: £7,134.11 for a community hut and notice boards for the members of the Ridge Road Allotments.
  • Dorchester Primary School: £63,055 to transform the playground into a sports and recreation space for children, parents and wider community at Dorchester Primary School.
  • Collingwood Playground Extension: £70,000 for expanding the fenced area of the playground and installing new equipment and safety surfacing in response to local demand.
  • Broxap Bins: £6,000 to install new, enclosed Broxap Bins at Yardley Rec, Reigate Avenue and Sutton Common.
  • Hamilton Avenue Recreation Clearance: £5,000 to cut back overgrowth, tidy the park up and and make it secure for those living near the grounds at Hamilton Avenue Recreation Ground.
  • Upgrade Litter Bins - Worcester Park: £44,250 as part of project around borough for purchase and installation of 25 big belly bins, 100 bin sensors and campaign around recycling.
  • Sutton Common Park Hardstanding: £2,000 for a flooding problem solved with French drain system instead, with excess funds used for park signs at Sutton Common Park.
  • Boroughwide Tree Planting: £45,214.75 as part of project to plant a minimum of 25 new trees per ward around the borough.
  • Sutton Common Tennis Court Fencing: £2,500 for repairs to fencing to patch holes and stop wire from lifting at the bottom of the fence at Sutton Common.
  • Cheam Croquet and Bowls Club Fencing: £5,346 for installing black steel fencing at Cheam Croquet and Bowls Club.
  • Hamptons Wetlands Nature Reserve Fencing: £13,000 to repair and secure the external boundary fence to prevent misuse and vandalism of the area at Hamptons Wetlands Nature Reserve.
  • North Cheam Flower Beds: £2,989.50 to restock and gravel the flower beds at North Cheam, with help from CHAPRA[^3].
  • Quarry Park Pruning and Planting: £5,000 for specialist pruning and new plants to support work of Friends of Quarry Park at Quarry Park.
  • Sutton Cemetery Chapel Improvements: £25,000 to repair and repaint the damp walls where paint is bubbling and flaking, replace inadequate seat pads on the wooden pews and seating and replace old carpet at Sutton Cemetery.

Winter Preparedness

The committee was scheduled to receive updates on gully cleaning, flood alleviation, and Christmas lights.

Community Showcase

The Sutton Model Engineering Club & Miniature Railway were scheduled to talk about their work and what the club offers the community.

Citizens Advice Sutton

A presentation on how Citizen's Advice Sutton meets the advice needs of residents in the Local Committee area was scheduled.

Public Questions

The agenda included an opportunity for members of the public to raise questions about local issues. Questions had to be submitted using a form on the council website.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The minutes of the meeting held on 15 July 2025 were included in the report pack. At that meeting, the committee:

• Heard from a representative from The Royal British Legion, Worcester Park, who provided information about the history of the branch, its location on Central Road and its facilities.
• Received an update on the site of the former HG Wells public house, 101 Cheam Common Road, KT4 8TA.
• Received a presentation about funding opportunities available to community groups in the area.
• Noted concerns expressed by a resident regarding TfL's proposal for micro mobility parking bays in Courtenay Road.