Purpose

To approve the acceptance of a £0.621m
grant offer from the Football Foundation for the Knowsley PlayZones
Portfolio and note the utilisation of a £0.238m contribution
from the Halewood Levelling Up Fund within the 2025/26 Regeneration
and Economic Development Capital Programme as match funding for
this project.

Decision

That The Executive Director
(Communities and Neighbourhoods) in consultation with The Cabinet
Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods:
 
a)   
Note the acceptance of £0.621m grant funding from the
Football Foundation for Knowsley’s PlayZones Portfolio for
the construction of Multi-Use Games Areas (MUGAs) at Halewood
Leisure Centre, New Hutte Neighbourhood Centre and Tower Hill
Community Hub;
 
b)   
Note the utilisation of £0.238m from the Halewood Levelling
Up Fund within the 2025/26 Regeneration and Economic Development
Capital Programme approved by Cabinet on 7 June 2023;
 
c)   
Approve the inclusion of £0.621m into the Environmental and
Sustainability Services 2025/26 Capital Programme; and
 
d)   
Authorise the Head of Legal Services to enter any necessary legal
agreements.
 

Alternative options considered

 
Option 1: Do Nothing – Not proceeding
with the scheme would result in the loss of an opportunity to
secure £0.621m Football Foundation investment in the
aforementioned sites across the borough for development of Sports
Facilities, which would maximise the existing resource of
£0.238m of Levelling Up Funding already allocated to the
Halewood Leisure Centre site.  This
option was rejected as to not deliver these works would result in a
failure to deliver high quality new facilities for community sport
in the hearts of some of the most deprived wards in Knowsley, and
would not align with the Council Plan 2025-30 objectives of
encouraging growth that benefits everyone and ensuring that our
communities can flourish.