The South of the Borough Neighbourhood Committee met on Wednesday 5 November 2025, and approved Neighbourhood Community Grants for Man & Boy, Oxygen, and the Kingston Tamil Heritage Group. The committee also received updates on community policing, a report from the Community Manager, a Decisions Progress Update, and reviewed its Work Programme.

Community Grants Programme

The South of the Borough Neighbourhood Committee approved three Neighbourhood Community Grants (NCGs) under the Community Grants Programme, aimed at supporting local voluntary and community activity. The agreed guidelines for the Neighbourhood Community Grants programme are attached as Annex 1.

The grants awarded were:

• Man & Boy: £2,230 to support their Stronger Families South of the Borough project. Man&Boy is a local charitable organisation that supports families who have experienced relationship breakdown. The Stronger Families project aims to deliver focused support to six referred beneficiaries from the South of the Borough wards, providing enrichment activities and mentoring.
• Oxygen: £2,230 to support their mentoring programme. Oxygen is a registered charity in Kingston which provides services and support to marginalised, disadvantaged and isolated young people. The funding will enable Oxygen to sustain their qualified staff and volunteers, and respond to the growing mental health needs of young people in the South of the Borough.
• Kingston Tamil Heritage Group: £825 to support the Kingston Tamil Heritage and Harvest Festival, which is taking place on Sunday 25 January 2026 at Richard Challoner School. The Kingston Tamil Heritage Group comprises four Tamil organisations: the Centre for Community Development, Tamil Information Centre, ITC Kingston Tamil School, and Surrey Tamil School. The festival will celebrate the harvest season and Tamil culture with music, dance, and cultural performances.

These grants support the 'Fairer' priority of the South of the Borough Neighbourhood Plan. According to the Public Reports Pack, £5,285 remained in the South of the Borough NCG fund, and after these grants are approved, the SotB NCG would be in deficit by £1,815.

Decisions Progress Update

The committee reviewed the Decisions Progress Update, which provided updates on several ongoing projects and decisions:

• Tolworth Court Farm: The works have been completed and invoiced.
• Waiting / Parking Restrictions Somerset Avenue: Discussion to take place with members and agree a way forward as part of the North Chessington area study.
• Rhodrons Avenue Area 3.5tonne weight restrictions: A Traffic Management Order¹ (TMO) was published, and several objections were received. The director and chair will set aside the objections and proceed with the scheme. Residents will be informed of this decision via letter, and a review of the impact on surrounding roads will be brought back to the committee after 12 months.
• Proposals for Bridge Road and Moor Lane: Following design completion, a notice of the proposal will be published in local newspapers, as required by Section 90C(2) of the Highways Act 1980².

Work Programme

The committee reviewed its Work Programme and scheduled the following items for future meetings:

• Community Grants Programme: A standing item for each meeting when required, to consider applications for Neighbourhood Community Grants and Councillor Ward Funding.
• Neighbourhood Manager's Report - Ranger Activity Undertaken in 2025: To note the activities undertaken by the Neighbourhood Community Ranger in the neighbourhood during the calendar year (scheduled for 10 December 2025).
• South of the Borough Neighbourhood Community Plan: To review community ideas on the South of the Borough Neighbourhood Community Plan (scheduled for 10 December 2025).
• Community Safety Update: A standing item, to update the Committee on community safety work undertaken in the last six months and plans for the next six months (scheduled for 10 December 2025).

Other Business

The agenda also included items for public questions, petitions, apologies for absence, declarations of interest, and confirmation of the minutes from the previous meeting. Additionally, there was an item for a Community Police Update and a report from the Community Manager, though specific details of these discussions are not available in the provided documents.