Agenda item

This report seeks approval for projects recommended to receive NCIL funding awards over £100k in value.  The report also outlines the recommended projects that require a capital funding contribution, for which approval to the capital budget allocation is also being sought, as well as detailing the projects under £100k which have been approved under delegated authority (in accordance with the process approved by Cabinet in June 2025).

Prior to considering the report, Cabinet noted the comments made by Councillors Hack and Dar (as online participants) in support of the Brent Beats and Roots project recommended for inclusion as a project for funding recognising the community driven nature of the cultural initiatives outlined within the project and focus on the borough’s Irish Heritage.

Cabinet RESOLVED:

(1)       To approve the projects set out in Appendix A of the report for NCIL funding.

(2)       To note the projects that required a capital budget requirement as set out in Appendix A and Appendix B of the report.

(3)       To approve a capital budget funded from NCIL totalling £5,088,231.

(4)       To note the projects in Appendix B that had been approved under delegated authority by the Corporate Director Service Reform and Strategy.

Eligible for call-in: Yes

Deadline for submission of call-in: 6pm on Monday 15 September 2025

Prior to considering the report, Councillor Muhammed Butt (as Leader of the Council) advised that he accepted a joint request to speak at the meeting from Councillors Hack & Dar in support of the Brent Beats and Roots project recommended for inclusion within the proposals set out in the report.

Addressing the meeting as online participants, Councillors Hack and Dar outlined their support of the Brent Beats and Roots project which had been recommended for inclusion as one of the projects for funding, recognising the community driven nature of the cultural initiatives outlined and specific focus within Cricklewood in celebrating the borough’s Irish Heritage as a means of creating a vibrant celebration of Brent’s musical legacy, cultural diversity and public spaces.

Having thanked both councillors for their comments in support of the scheme, Councillor Muhammed Butt (as Leader of the Council) then invited Councillor Rubin (as Cabinet Member for Climate Action and Community Power) to introduce the report from the Corporate Director Service Reform & Strategy detailing the projects which had been recommended to receive Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL) funding awards over £100k in value.  The report also outlined the recommended projects that required a capital funding contribution, for which approval to the capital budget allocation was also being sought, as well as detailing the projects under £100k which had been approved under delegated authority (in accordance with the process approved by Cabinet in June 2025).

In presenting the report, Cabinet was advised that the £5 million investment programme outlined within the report reflected the new approach adopted towards the distribution and allocation of NCIL funding.  Recognising the opportunity provided to respond directly to the priorities being highlighted by residents and focus on fairness in relation to the NCIL process, the approach adopted was also identified as reflecting the benefits of local development in terms of providing a means to reinvest in the everyday services and spaces that mattered most to residents.  Members were reminded that the programme of proposed investment would cover each Brent Connects area and included a focus on investment that would deliver cleaner streets, greener spaces, safer neighbourhoods, and renewed opportunities for culture, learning, and community life.

In highlighting key elements of the programme, members were advised that it included over 60 individual projects with schemes designed to deliver around £1m of investment into cleaner, safer neighbourhoods through expanded patrols, new street bins, pothole repairs, and secure cycle parking and over £1.5m of investment into greener spaces, including major tree planting, new rain gardens, and green corridor schemes in Church End and Kingsbury.  Other projects included almost £600,000 to support communities directly, with cost-of-living programmes, new learning spaces, and initiatives designed to make a real difference to families alongside over £200,000 into culture and identity through Brent Beats & Roots, as a borough-wide celebration of Brent’s unique music and cultural heritage (for which the support expressed by Councillor Hack and Dar was welcomed) and more than £200,000 for community safety, including new patrols and targeted crime-reduction projects.

Taken together, it was felt the projects identified would transform the everyday experience of living in Brent enabling work to continue in tackling the impact of austerity, investing in shared spaces and restoring pride in the borough.

Members in welcoming and commending the proposed use of NCIL funding and investment programme outlined within the report, were keen to recognise and support the focus included on projects designed to benefit local communities in terms of not only enhancing the borough’s public realm, physical infrastructure (including parks and green spaces) and cultural and heritage offer but also in seeking to address demand identified in relation to cost-of-living pressures, supporting employment and that would contribute towards the delivery of safer neighbourhoods through the tackling of crime and anti-social behaviour.

In acknowledging the extent of the proposed investment, which it was noted would also include a project focussed around the Freeman Family Centre as well as support for cycle and other active travel measures, members also commended the success achieved in terms of the generation and collection of CIL receipts, which was recognised as a further benefit of the efforts being made to deliver the ambitious programme of regeneration across Brent.

In support of the approach towards the use of NCIL and thanking all those involved for their focus in seeking to bring forward and deliver at pace the investment programme outlined, Cabinet RESOLVED:

(1)       To approve the projects set out in Appendix A of the report for NCIL funding.

(2)       To note the projects that required a capital budget requirement as set out in Appendix A and Appendix B of the report.

(3)       To approve a capital budget funded from NCIL totalling £5,088,231.

(4)       To note the projects in Appendix B that had been approved under delegated authority by the Corporate Director Service Reform and Strategy.