The Grants Determination Sub-Committee will be provided with a report on the performance of the Mayor's Community Grants Programme (MCGP), the funding awarded under delegated authority, and requests to approve the renewal of Service Level Agreements for two significant green spaces in the borough.

Renewal of the Service Level Agreement for Mudchute Park and Farm

The Sub-Committee will be asked to approve the renewal of the Service Level Agreement for Mudchute Park and Farm on the Isle of Dogs until 31 March 2025. The report notes that the Mudchute Association is a registered charity which has managed the 32-acre site, one of the largest city farms in Europe, since 1977. The land is owned by Tower Hamlets Council. The report states that the Mudchute Association plays a unique role within the open space portfolio of the borough and, in addition to offering a wide range of attractions for the local community, is an area rich in wildlife and associated educational opportunities.

The report describes how Mudchute Park and Farm was established through community lobbying in 1974 following plans by the Greater London Council to build a high-rise estate on the land. It notes that:

Their success secured it as the ‘People’s Park’ for the area.

The report also describes the extensive educational programme run by the farm and the opportunities for volunteering. It notes that the Mudchute Association work closely with Tower Habitats, the Biodiversity Partnership for the Borough of Tower Hamlets as well as wildlife charities such as Froglife and that the park provides a uniquely untamed public open space in the heart of London’s most developed area.

The report pack states that the proposed Service Level Agreement will provide £31,000 from the Parks Department's revenue budget to support the management and maintenance of the park. The report states that this funding represents good value for money as it enables the council to maintain the site for a modest sum and the Mudchute Association is able to provide match funding through volunteer hours and fundraising activities that support the wider upkeep of the site. The report pack notes that alternative options, including ceasing to provide the funding, were considered, but this was deemed to be a poor option as it would have a detrimental effect on the organisation, which is well embedded in the community and would lead to protest from residents.

Renewal of Service Level Agreement for Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park

The report pack asks the Sub-Committee to approve a Service Level Agreement for the Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park in Mile End. The report notes that the park is a Local Nature Reserve and Conservation Area which has been managed by the Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park since 1990. It describes the park as:

a unique, important, and much-loved open space

The report pack states that the Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park is a registered charity which manages the 27-acre site under a Service Level Agreement with the council. It notes that the park plays a unique role within the open space portfolio of the borough. The report describes how the park opened in 1841 as The City of London and Tower Hamlets Cemetery and was one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries built at the time. It closed for burials in 1966 and is now a nature reserve. The report notes that the Cemetery Park is:

regarded by other historic cemeteries in London as the most effective at community involvement and wildlife management.

The report states that the purpose of the proposed Service Level Agreement is to provide £31,900 from the Parks Department's revenue budget to the charity for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. It notes that this modest sum represents good value for money, that the Friends group are able to increase the sense of community ownership of the park and that they are able to provide match funding from other sources. The report pack states that alternative options for funding the park were considered, but these were deemed to be poor options as they would have a detrimental effect on the organisation, which is well embedded in the community and would lead to protest from residents. The report also notes that the Cemetery Park has recently received section 106¹ funding towards site improvements.

Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 allows a local planning authority to enter into a legally binding agreement with a developer when granting planning permission. This agreement can be used to restrict development or require financial contributions towards infrastructure projects that will offset the impact of development on a local community.

VCS Funding Awarded Under Delegated Authority

The report pack notes that officers have awarded funding to two Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations through the Emergency Fund since the last meeting of the Sub-Committee. The fund provides grants to organisations facing a significant loss of council funding or an unforeseen emergency. £6,480 was awarded to the Grand Union Orchestra and £6,100 was awarded to Tower Hamlets Community Transport. The report pack states that there have been no awards under the Community Benefit Rent Reduction scheme, which provides a rent reduction to organisations leasing premises from the council, since the last meeting of the Sub-Committee.

The report provides an update on the Mayor's Small Grants Programme 2023 - 2027, which provides £800,000 of funding to VCS organisations with an income under £150,000. It notes that the scheme opened for applications on 20 May 2024 and closed on 28 June 2024 and that recommendations for awards under the scheme are awaiting a decision. The report pack states that in response to the recent VCS strategy consultation, the council will leave the scheme open for the remainder of the financial year.

Mayor’s Community Grant Programme (MCGP) Performance Report – Apr-Jun 24

The report pack will provide the Sub-Committee with a performance update on the Mayor’s Community Grant Programme (MCGP) which was agreed in March 2023 and provides a total of £11.96 million in funding to 110 VCS organisations across five themes until 31 March 2027. The report pack states that the purpose of this report is to ensure that the MCGP themes and individual projects are on track to achieve the targeted outcomes and to address any problems. It notes that this could include the reduction, withdrawal or reallocation of funds to ensure that the programme makes the most effective use of resources.

The five themes supported by the Mayor's Community Grant Programme are:

• Tackling the Cost-of-living crisis
• Accelerate Education
• Culture, Business, Jobs and Skills
• Invest in public services
• Empower communities and fight crime

The report pack states that 106 of the 110 organisations in the scheme are rated as GREEN, meaning they are on track to meet their targets, and 3 are rated as AMBER, meaning there are issues that need to be addressed. It notes that one organisation, Limehouse Welfare Association, is rated as RED, due to non-delivery of the project LWA Community Language Bengali and Arabic Support Programme. The report pack states that two options for the future of the project will be presented to the Sub-Committee:

"1) The project activity and targets are revised to take into account the delayed start with the lifetime grant funding of £76,533 reduced to £67,200 due to the non-delivery between Nov 23 and Jun 24. This is the preferred option as the project has now started delivery in July and would have the minimum disruption to participants.

2) The project grant funding is withdrawn. Any evidenced spend on the activity in July is reimbursed but the project is ended following the process set out in the Funding Agreement for termination of the funding. New activity is commissioned to deliver the activity to the residents in the area."

The report pack contains details of the performance of each of the five themes in the scheme. It provides a narrative description of the themes, a list of the priorities supported under each theme and an overview of the achievements and challenges under each theme. The report pack states that there are 6 organisations providing advice and support to residents under Theme 1: Tackling the Cost-of-living crisis. It notes that 4,467 residents accessed these services during the reporting period and that these organisations secured £600,016.55 in debt write-offs for residents.

The report pack states that 30 organisations provide support to children and adults under Theme 2: Accelerate Education. It notes that 1,177 residents participated in these schemes. It identifies challenges faced by two organisations:

Young and Talented - Triple Talent Enrichment Programme – the organisation has had some challenges around the venue for the project and this has had an impact on numbers of participants. They are working with Officers to resolve this.

Quaker Social Action - Made of Money - helping carers to increase their resilience to online financial scams – The main issue is around the project management with the monitoring return for April – June not submitted.

The report pack states that 28 organisations are providing support under Theme 3: Culture, Business, Jobs and Skills. It notes that 1,053 residents have participated in these activities and that one organisation, Platform Cricket, has not submitted a monitoring report for the period.

The report pack states that 30 organisations provide support under Theme 4: Invest in public services. It notes that 1,953 residents have participated in these activities and that there have been no reported problems with any of the organisations in this theme.

The report pack states that 16 organisations are providing support to residents under Theme 5: Empower Communities and fight crime. It notes that 1,514 residents participated in these activities during the reporting period.