Decision Maker:

Outcome:

Is Key Decision?: Yes

Is Callable In?: Yes

Date of Decision: December 9, 2025

Purpose:

Content: Salford City Council - Record of Decision (Cabinet)   I, Paul Dennett, the City Mayor, in consultation with Cabinet in exercise of the powers contained within the City Council Constitution do hereby: Approve the proposal to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government/Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to accept £1.5m of Pride in Place Impact Fund over two years (April 2025 – March 2027). Authorise the City Solicitor and Monitoring Officer to execute any legal documents or contracts pertaining to this approval.  Note that funding allocations will be made following further consultation with MPs. The Reasons are: A series of significant Government/MHCLG funding announcements have been made to support regeneration across Salford. The Trailblazer Regeneration programme confirmed up to £20 million for Pendleton on 11 June 2025, marking a major commitment to long?term neighbourhood transformation. This was followed by the Pride in Place Regeneration announcement on 25 September 2025, which allocated up to £20 million for Peel Green to accelerate community?led improvements.   Most recently, on 17 November 2025, the government launched the Pride in Place Impact Fund, providing £1.5 million to deliver rapid, high?impact enhancements across Salford. Collectively, these funding streams demonstrate a sustained and multi?layered approach to levelling up local areas through both strategic and immediate interventions. The recommendations align with the Council’s priorities and.is considered operationally, financially, and strategically advantageous for the Council and for service users. Options considered and rejected were: Not approving the recommendation to enter into the MoU. Assessment of Risk: ·         The benefits to the Council and service users of entering into this agreement outweigh the potential risks. ·         A risk register will be developed for the PIPIF Investment Plan, encompassing risks around the programme and setting out mitigation measures. This will be reported at the Programme Board as part of the regular reporting process. ·         The register will include consideration of key risks around delivery and expenditure and the risk of clawback to any underspend. The source of funding is: Central Government funding.   Legal Advice obtained: Carol Isherwood – Lawyer – Manchester Shared Legal Service. The MoU which is not intended to be legally binding nor intended to create legal obligations. It will cover the period September 2025 to March 2027. We do not consider that any amendments can be made to the MoU by SCC. 1.    The MoU cross refers to the Prospectus at Appendix 1 throughout in terms of: (i)   How the funding should be spent – see section 2 of the Prospectus– Fund Objectives and Eligible Costs – section 11 of the Prospectus. (ii)  Reporting/supporting evaluation of the Fund – see section 7 and progress metrics under section 8 of the Prospectus. (iii) Payment i.e. all of the 25/26 funding will be allocated on signature, and the 2026-2027 allocation will be paid between April - June 2026, subject to submission of a satisfactory monitoring report in February 2026 (see paragraph 7.3 of the Prospectus). (iv) Unspent/uncommitted funding as at 31/3/2027 being returned to government/ MHCLG, as per paragraph 10.4 of the Prospectus and paragraphs 5.8 and 5.9 of the MoU. (v)  Managing funding within the finance governance framework adopted by local authorities and the existing local authority accountability and assurance regime, under the oversight of the Local Authority’s chief financial officer – see section 4 of the Prospectus and paragraphs 8.1 and 8.2 of the MoU.  (vi) Mitigating fraud and compliance with legislation (as per paragraph 8.3 of the Mou) and sections 12, 13 and 15-18 inclusive of the Prospectus. (vii) Complying with guidance on Fund branding and communication – as per paragraph 6.1 of the MoU and paragraph 14 of the Prospectus (which will be updated in due course). 2.    The MoU sets out the circumstances in which funding may be clawed back i.e.   paragraph 5.6 of MoU states that if the Secretary of State has concerns around future spending plans based on the experience of local delivery to date, or wider financial issues or governance affecting delivery, then the Secretary of State may pay in instalments, withhold or recover funding. 3.    There may be cost implications for Salford City Council and paragraph 5.10 of the MoU states that the Local Authority accepts responsibility for meeting any costs over and above the Secretary of State’s contribution, agreed in the annual grant determination. This includes potential cost overruns and the underwriting of any funding contributions expected from third parties. 4.    Paragraph 6.2 of the MoU requires that Salford City Council agree to adhere to the guidance and any updates subsequently released by the Secretary of State or HMG on communications linked to the Fund and paragraph 6.3 requires Salford City Council to publish information regarding the delivery of the Fund in its area. e.g. by publishing a summary of the approved investments. 5.    Disputes will be settled by consultation between Salford City Council and government/MHLGC.   In light of the above and notwithstanding the fact that the MoU is not intended to be legally binding, it is recommended that SCC enters into grant agreements with the organisations responsible for the projects it will fund which include mirroring provisions to those set out in the MoU and Prospectus, enabling SCC to pass key principles down and claw back funding where the government/MHCLG requires funds to be returned.   Financial Advice obtained: Grace Rogerson – Finance Manager The grant can only be spent on capital. 2026–27 Funding is paid between April–June 2026, conditional on a satisfactory monitoring report submitted in February 2026 and regular reporting is required and participation in evaluations and provision of monitoring data is expected. The council must ensure all funds are committed by 31st March 2027 to avoid repayment of the grant and need to make sure it is only spent on eligible expenditure to avoid repayment. Procurement Advice obtained:  Not applicable   HR Advice obtained: Not applicable Equality Impact Assessment and Implications: ·         An assessment will be undertaken on Investment Plan and overall the impact of PIPIF funding to ensure no negative impacts are experienced. ·         The criteria for the grant funding will have a positive impact from an equality, diversity, and inclusion impact, and will include investment in community assets in Salford. Climate Change Advice obtained: It is proposed that the investment will enhance availability and quality of green space in the urban centre, mitigating the impacts of climate change.  The following documents have been used to assist the decision process: This decision is supported by the accompanying appendix – Memorandum of Understanding. Contact Officer: Alex Fyans, Project Manager, Place Directorate               Telephone number: 07944624057   The appropriate scrutiny to call-in the decision is the Growth & Prosperity Scrutiny Panel.   Signed: Paul Dennett                                              Dated: 22nd December 2025                         City Mayor   For Democratic Services use only This decision was published on 23.12.25                                              This decision will come in force at 4.00 p.m. on 02.01.26                                                   unless it is called-in in accordance with the Decision Making Process Rules.