This meeting of the East Central multi-ward forum was scheduled to discuss three topics: the allocation of funding from the Neighbourhoods Fund, the allocation of Devolved Highways funding, and the allocation of funding from the Cleaner Greener Safer programme.

Allocation of the Neighbourhoods Fund 2025-26

The report pack included 41 applications for funding from the Neighbourhoods Fund. The total requested amount was £325,332, while the total available was £140,000.

The Neighbourhoods Fund was created in 2015 by merging the Cleaner Greener Safer revenue fund and the Community Council Fund.

The purpose of introducing the NsF was to give local areas decision making powers over significant amounts of revenue funding, that they could allocate to meet locally determined priorities.

- Report - Neighbourhoods Fund 2025-26 East Central Area

The funding can be used for a wide range of projects that meet 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).

A multi-ward forum can also allocate some of their Neighbourhoods Fund resources to their Cleaner Greener Safer capital allocations, and can use the fund to buy services from the council.

The report pack contains a summary of each of the applications for funding, which can be read in Appendix 1 - Neighbourhoods Fund Schemes 2025-26. These included:

• A free community event with a light and fire festival theme to be held by The Purple Ladies, a Community Interest Company (CIC) that works to build community spirit through performance, taking place in Kirkwood Nature Reserve
• A free scout club for 6-12 year olds called The Giggly Hikers, to be run by Family Space
• An Elderly Befriending Project to be run by the Esteem Foundation, a charity that aims to promote wellbeing among BAME communities
• Support for an annual community film night on the Clifton Estate
• A series of workshops on how to find, test and process wild clay run by Communal Clay

Devolved Highways 2025-26

The report pack included 8 applications for funding from the Devolved Highways programme, with a total requested amount of £82,525. There was also £71,369 available from the previous year's underspend, giving a total of £153,894 to be allocated by the forum. A further £23,882 was added from the central highways budget, bringing the total funding available up to £177,776.

The report pack contains a summary of each of the applications for funding, which can be read in Appendix 1 - East Central Multi Ward Area 2025-26 Applications. These included:

• Improvements to the junction of Lugard Road and Hollydale Road, including a new pedestrian crossing, in Nunhead and Queens Road ward
• Regrading of the pavement on Queens Road, in Nunhead and Queens Road ward
• Provision of electricity for the Bellenden Christmas Tree, in Rye Lane ward
• Provision of adequate waste disposal on Peckham Rye Lane, in Rye Lane ward

In addition to the applications received, officers also proposed the following schemes:

• Traffic calming on Howbury Road, in Nunhead and Queens Road ward
• Traffic calming on Gautrey Road, in Nunhead and Queens Road ward
• Resurfacing of Peckham Park Road, in Old Kent Road ward

The above proposals can be found in Appendix 3 - East Central Multi Ward Area 2025-26 - Officer Proposals.

Cleaner Greener Safer 2025-26

The report pack included 46 applications for funding from the Cleaner Greener Safer programme, with a total requested amount of £456,806. There was also £29,804 available from the previous year's underspend, giving a total of £328,004 to be allocated by the forum.

The report pack contains a summary of each of the applications for funding, which can be read in Appendix 1 - All East Central Multi-Ward CGS Applications 2025-26. These included:

• Improvements to the football pitch on the Barset Estate, in Nunhead and Queens Road ward
• A community garden on the corner of Crewys Road and Kirkwood Road, in Nunhead and Queens Road ward
• A mural on Montsera in Old Kent Road ward
• Continuation of steel bollards on Bird in Bush Road in Old Kent Road ward
• Improved lighting at 117-125 Rye Lane in Rye Lane ward
• Refurbishment of the public toilets on Peckham Rye, in Peckham Rye ward