This meeting was about approving the spending of money from three funds that Southwark Council uses to pay for local improvements: the Cleaner Greener Safer programme, the Neighbourhoods Fund and the Devolved Highways budget. There were scheduled to be discussions about reallocating underspends from previous years, approving applications from the public to these funds for 2025-26, and considering proposals for projects suggested by council officers. The documents that describe the meeting do not tell us whether any of the proposals were approved, rejected or discussed by the councillors.

Cleaner Greener Safer Programme

The Cleaner Greener Safer programme is for capital projects, which are projects to make physical changes to an area, such as planting trees, installing play equipment or improving lighting. It was scheduled to be discussed that £319,500 was available for 2025-26, and that there was also £24,649 left over from previous years. The report pack states that projects should:

bring about a permanent improvement and make an area cleaner, greener or safer.

Funding for these projects can be provided to organisations in the form of a grant, on the condition that:

the council will give the funding allocation to the applicant in the form of a capital grant, with appropriate conditions attached.

The report pack contained a list of 107 applications to the programme, from all five wards in the West Central area. Here are three examples of those applications:

• BUILD AND GROW URBAN GREEN SPACE from an unknown applicant in Camberwell Green ward.
• Restoring the Garden at Art in the Park Stage 2 from Art in the Park, an organisation that provides art studios and runs a community garden, in Faraday ward.
• Completion of Nursery Sensory Area from an unknown applicant in North Walworth ward.

Neighbourhoods Fund

The Neighbourhoods Fund is for revenue projects, which are projects for activities that take place over time, such as running a community group or putting on an event. There was £150,000 scheduled to be discussed for allocation to projects in 2025-26. Each of the five wards in the West Central area has £30,000 to spend on projects. The report pack states that the fund:

can allow individuals and community groups to organise their own events /projects to enable communities to come together.

Projects must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Creating opportunities for people from different backgrounds to get on well together; (e.g. community cohesion).
• Establishing projects which treat each other with respect and consideration (e.g. being a good neighbour, inter-generational contacts).
• Encouraging residents to be responsible for their own neighbourhood (e.g. community clean-ups; volunteering initiatives).
• Specific measures to enhance a neighbourhood’s environment (e.g. increased cleaning).

The report pack contained a list of 65 applications to the fund. Here are three examples of those applications:

• Rehearsals / Workshops from Blue Elephant Theatre, a theatre in Camberwell Green ward that runs workshops and provides theatre space for hire.
• Party in the Park from St Peter's Church Walworth, a church in Faraday ward.
• Mushroom, Fungi, Mycelium Biodiversity Project from Mistral Community Garden, a community garden in St Giles ward.

Devolved Highways Budget

The Devolved Highways budget is for capital projects to improve roads and pavements. It was scheduled to be discussed that £190,475 was available to be spent on projects in 2025-26, with an additional £206,850 left over from previous years, meaning that £397,325 could be allocated. According to the report pack, the budget is used to pay for:

highway renewal and maintenance that may not be prioritised as part of the borough-wide programme.

The projects that could be funded include:

• Footway and carriageway resurfacing.
• Traffic calming.
• Localised repairs.
• Accessibility improvements.
• Footway buildouts.
• Cycle hangars.

The report pack contained six applications from the public and also listed three projects suggested by council officers for which proposals are still to be made. Here are three examples of the applications made by the public:

• Camberwell Green Decorative Lighting from an unknown applicant in Camberwell Green ward.
• Bicycle Racks outside Budgens Camberwell Road from an unknown applicant in Camberwell Green ward.
• Planting beds on Coleman Road from an unknown applicant in St Giles ward.