Agenda item

Councillor Robert Benham, Cabinet Member for Community Empowerment, introduced the report

The report described the developing partnership work between the Council, the Thames Chase Trust, the Forestry Commission and others aimed at securing funding for substantial environmental regeneration programmes in Havering’s countryside and green spaces. 

It was noted that Green infrastructure had an increasingly important role to play as the Council faced the challenges of sustaining economic growth and the expected changes to London’s demography and climate. It could help absorb flood water, cool the urban environment and clean the air. It could also be used for local food production, to promote sport and leisure and ensure space for London’s fauna and flora; as a network it could provide links and connections between places, encouraging walking and cycling, highlighting landscape and heritage and supporting the local economy, in particular the visitor economy.

The report sought approval to make grant funding bids to the GLA Big Green Fund, an All London Green Grid initiative, and to the Heritage Lottery Fund Landscape Partnerships programme and for the Council, on behalf of the partnership, to act as the accountable body for the grants were the bids to be successful.

Reasons for the decision:

The GLA Big Green Fund and HLF Landscape Partnerships were important grant opportunities from which Havering and its partners could benefit.

In order to maximise the benefits of these opportunities to Havering a decision by Cabinet is required to authorise the submission of funding bids in excess of £500k. The Constitution sets out that pursuant to the delegated authority for general functions in Part 3 Section 2.1 in the following paragraphs to Cabinet:-

(g) To allocate and control financial and land and property resources, to determine priorities in the use of these resources, and take any other action necessary to achieve those objectives; and

 (r) To be responsible for all executive matters even if not expressly set out in Part 3 of this constitution.

Pursuant to Corporate Functions under Part 3 Section 2.2:-

(a) To take decisions on all matters relating to the Council’s finances including but not exclusively:

(i) budgetary control

Other options considered:

Submitting bids above £500k requires Cabinet approval, without which there are no other options for approval.

Cabinet:

1.         Agreed the development and submission of grant funding applications to the GLA Big Green Fund and to the Heritage Lottery Fund Landscape Partnerships funding programme.

2.         Agreed that the Council be identified as the accountable body for these grant funding applications.