Grants Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee - Thursday 6 November 2025, 7:00pm - Wandsworth Council Webcasting

Grants Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee
Thursday, 6th November 2025 at 7:00pm 

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Good evening, everyone.
My name is Councillor Worrall, Deputy Chair of the Grants Overview and Scrutiny Subcommittee.
Unfortunately, Councillor Nairn is unable to attend and it's proposed I chair the meeting.
Are you in agreement?
Great.
Okay.
What I propose to do then is if I could ask the councillors present to introduce themselves
We are expecting two other councillors to arrive. We know they're running late. So we when when they arrive
They'll just join the meeting. So if I could ask you first Jack
Councillor Mayorkas Trinity would
Lindsay
Councillor Lindsay hedges Ballin Ward. Thank you. Do we have any apologies for tonight?
Great.
Thank you very much.
We have officers present here in the room and also online today, and I will ask the
officers to introduce themselves when they actually address the committee.
So gender items.
Are there any declarations of interests, either pecuniary, other -regitable, or non -regitable
interests?
If so, please declare your interest.

1 Declaration of Interests

the item and the paper number of which you have interests,
and describing the nature of your interests,
including whether or not you'll be taking a part in any item.
Nope, that's a no, great, okay.
So, moving on to the first agenda item.
Does the committee agree the minutes of the previous meeting
held on the 9th of September, 2025,
and that can be signed off as a correct record
of the meeting?

2 Minutes - 9th September 2025

There are a couple of actions that were in the minutes.
If I could ask officers to please report back on them.
So in the discussion, the committee agreed for the officers to go away and relook at
three applications, and we gave them delegated authority for a final decision in relation
to the granting of the grant.
If I could ask some feedback on those three decisions.
Thank you, Councillor.
Harriet Steele, Voluntary Sector Partnership Manager.
So the three organisations were Nightingale -Hammerson,
Wandsworth Perrievement Service, and the Baha 'i organisation.
Nightingale -Hammerson, that was a care home
where they were seeking funding for dementia work.
The decision was made to agree that funding and that was subject to the organisation making
or keeping a log of people who are attending the activity from the wider community.
The One -South Bereavement Service, that was an application to look at running their services
slightly differently.
So they were looking at both one -to -one sessions and group work.
And again, decision was made to award that organisation the funding.
And the third application to the Ohio organisation, that was for a youth project, and there was
a query around the faith -based element of that.
Officers have made a conditional offer to the organisation, subject to a further conversation
with the group about the programme and the content of their offer, and we're waiting to hear
back from them on that.
Great.
Thank you very much.
Do committee members have any questions about those decisions?
No?
Great.
Okay.
Thank you.
We will now move on to the applications themselves.
If I could ask Harriet Steele to introduce the report, and then Kiran Wozdell, if I pronounced
if I can say that correctly,
and will take us through each of the applications.
Sorry, Councillor Hinchliffe.
Just a really minor point, please, Chair.
On page nine, this is really helpful, thank you.
The last column says grants sub -OSC recommendation,
and it's got the figures in there,
so it kind of looks a bit preemptive,
like we've already agreed the grants,
and I'm wondering whether that column
Should just say officer recommendation just for clarity. Otherwise, it looks like we've we've already awarded them
Thank you, thank you comes ages, okay
The issues before we proceed
No, great. Thank you
And thank you
Council so and today we're looking at the the grants recommended for

3 Community Spaces and Inflationary Pressures Grant Fund 2025/26 (Paper No. 25-345)

for the Community Spaces and Inflationary Pressures Fund.
This is building on the support that the council have offered around the cost of living.
And the aim of the fund is really to support organisations and funding around community
spaces and food projects, building on that capacity and sustainability as well as funding
core programmes, programme costs for organisations who are particularly struggling with inflationary
pressures due to improved increased demand in their services,
which are directly aimed at residents being impacted by the rise in cost of living.
And there's a real clear focus of this fund around moving on to longer term sustainability.
Within this round, we have 200 ,000 pounds available and
groups can apply for grants of between 2 ,500 and 15 ,000 pounds.
under two priority areas.
The first is around funding for community spaces
and food projects, again with a focus on
building capacity and sustainability.
And the second priority is around funding core programme costs
for organisations who are struggling with
inflationary pressures due to proven increased demand
on their services, which directly support residents
being impacted by the rising cost of living
with the focus on moving to longer term sustainability.
So within this round, we had 21 applications seeking
277 ,285 pounds, and officers are recommending
awards to 14 organisations at a total value of 193 ,710 pounds.
Thank you.
If I could ask Karen, where's the daisy?
In fact, I'll ask Kieran to take us through the papers.
Good afternoon, councillors.
Kieran Walsdell, Senior Voluntary Sector
Grants and Projects Officer.
The first application received to the fund
was from Age UK Wandsworth.
They are seeking 7 ,160 pounds in funding
to host a two -hour weekly group session every Friday
for Wandsworth residents aged over 60
at the Gwynedd Morgan Day Centre
between 11 a .m. and 1 p .m.
The project will begin in January
and run to the end of the calendar year.
The first hour of the session will comprise
group social activities to aid mental health and wellbeing.
In the second hour, participants will be provided
with a hot meal and refreshments.
Through delivery, they will also provide
12 additional sessions focused on the cost of living
and skills for later life.
The project is intended to benefit approximately 50 unique beneficiaries across a lifetime.
The project officers felt that the project aligned well with the aims of the fund and
there was a clear focus on the cost of living.
Cost of living skills and later life sessions were thought to be particularly helpful here.
These recent reasons officers have recommended the application for funding.
Great, thank you.
Councillor Hidges.
Thank you.
Firstly, I really appreciate all the work that Age UK do.
Just a couple of questions.
I haven't got any material pushback on it, just a couple of queries.
One, I know we always look at the reserves and there seems to be,
it seems to me like there's quite a lot of money in the bank.
And then just looking at the project budget in terms of
how much money we're going to give to arts and crafts material
when I think of what we're giving in terms of cost of living and there are some other
applications in here like food banks and I'm just comparing the two thinking well it would
be great to have a bit more justification on that one please.
Sure so on the reserves, the reserves policy I think is around six months which is standard
or good practise for the sector.
At present their reserves stand at 3 .7 months of operational expenditure so there are about
in the midpoint there.
So we wouldn't consider that too excessive
in terms of the reserves,
unprestricted free reserves that they're carrying.
On the arts and crafts, that's certainly something
that we can review and have a look at if necessary
and potentially take out of the budget
if councillors feel that something they'd like to look at.
Any other comments or queries?
So the proposal is to relook at part of the budget in terms of the arts and crafts material,
but in principle we're happy to pass this.
Great, thank you.
If we go to paper number two then, Karras.
So, KARAS, community action for refugees and asylum seekers, they provide a range of services
for newly arrived refugees and asylum seekers, including for adult families and young people
aged between 14 and 19.
The applicant has recently had to secure alternative premises due to loss of one of their venues,
the hub on Beechcroft Road.
The rent at their new site is partially covered
by project expenditure from other funded projects,
and they are seeking 10 ,000 pounds to cover the shortfall.
This will enable them to deliver ESOL classes
and get ready for school sessions
that would benefit around 500 participants across the year.
Officers felt that the applicant
hadn't sufficiently established
how their project was linked to the cost of living.
The need to move spaces seems to have been driven more
by the loss of their site on Beachcroft Road
as opposed to increased demand generated
by the cost of living.
For this reason, it was felt that the application
wasn't a strong fit for the fund
and hasn't been recommended for this reason.
Any questions from the committee?
No.
Is committee in agreement with the decision?
Great, thank you.
If we can move on to paper number three,
to the Carnies Community.
Carnies Community would like 15 ,000 pound in funding
to provide free hot meals to young people and adults
two days a week after their boxing and youth club sessions
that they provide on Mondays and Wednesdays
at their Petworth site.
The project will support primarily young people
aged between 11 and 17 who attend either or both
of these sessions.
Some meals will be set aside for those over the age of 18 who are facing financial hardship.
Funding will be put towards the salary and on costs of the community chef who will be responsible for preparing the meals.
In addition to the purchase of some additional food stuff to supplement the stock that they already received from surplus food suppliers.
They hope to support around 50 people each week.
On average, officers felt that the applicant demonstrated good alignment with the prices of the fund.
The project will be supporting primarily marginalised young people impacted by the cost of living.
Through providing access to free food and wraparound service that includes counselling,
employment support, and individualised casework for some of the more complex cases.
These reasons, the application was recommended for funding.
Okay, Councillor Hitchers.
Thank you.
really welcome this application because I think it's great that we're supporting the youth,
the younger people basically.
But just a couple of questions.
One is around the DE &I approach because my understanding is there could potentially be a slight bias towards one gender.
For this funding, so and would like you to prove me wrong there.
And then the second one is, once the funding's run out,
how would this organisation sustain
and continue this really great initiative?
Thank you.
So I think in the application,
there wasn't sufficient evidence on the DNI
and demographic breakdown of the participants
at the session.
It would appear that boxing clubs
will be predominantly focused on our participants,
But we didn't have anything in there to comment on in the application and the review.
Perhaps that's something we can look to include in further assessments and application forms.
Apologies, I forgot your second question.
Sustainability.
I think the general approach would be to apply for further funding, increase participation
of volunteers in the programme and generate paid -for income. I think they've recently set up a
social enterprise that they are delivering at present at their site, Pettilor Street.
Thank you, Councillor Rigby and then Councillor Marshall.
Yeah, thank you. I've got a couple of questions. One is could you clarify what, on page 24,
the first paragraph, it says feedback from attendees themselves regularly reference
a lack of space
Does that mean space to cook at home? What's the space?
Yes, it's space at the site to
Sit and have a meal basically. I think there was previously space to accommodate 24
young people
To provide a sit -down meal. I believe they've received funding to expand that site to 48
seats and
I think that comment is just reflecting that the young people themselves recognise that there's
Okay, so is this is the food going to be cooked on the side
What's happened how's it happen that's our understanding is there will be on
Because this is also a great opportunity to sort of share skills on how to cook sort of
cost effective nutritious meals.
Will the people attending the boxing sessions be part of the preparation of the food?
Because it says there's a chef, which is great.
But is there any sort of like skill sharing in terms of here's how you could also cook
something like this?
Or is it just do your boxing and there's a meal?
I think it's the latter in truth, but we can certainly go back to the applicant and see
if there's an opportunity to incorporate that into the project design and delivery.
Yes.
Councillor Marshall.
Yes.
So they say on average there's space for, well, they hope to accommodate 50 participants at
each mill.
They say there's 48 seated spaces and then enough space to have some participants stand
and eat.
So, yes, maximum of 60 roughly.
Just to pick up on Councillor Hedges' points in relation to boxing being very male dominated,
that is quite true, but I know Carnies has done quite a lot of work to encourage young
women to come along.
And the idea is not only boxing per se,
but also fitness -type related work as well.
So the work is being done for that.
So is the committee in agreement for this award?
Thank you very much.
Okay, next one is the community drug
and alcohol recovery services.
So, CEDARS would like £11 ,398 to deliver a weekly community dinner at their site in
CEDARS Road on Mondays from 5pm to 8pm.
The project will benefit Wandsworth residents who are currently accessing their day programme
and other services.
They expect an average of 15 people to attend a dinner each week with a total reach across
the project of 60 participants.
Dinners will be prepared by peer mentors
and CDAR's day programme clients,
and a support worker will be on hand
to provide support with finances
and other challenges associated with the cost of living.
Officers noted a broad focus on mental health and well -being,
however felt that the project would be supporting
a notably vulnerable group in a very targeted way,
providing warm space and food to residents
who will benefit from this provision,
and the wraparound support that is clearly aimed
mitigating the impacts of the cost of living.
For these reasons, the application was recommended for funding.
Any questions?
No?
Is the committee in agreement?
Great, thank you.
Great.
Paper number five, cross -light advice.
So cross -light advice were established in 2009 and work across London and the south.
They support marginalised and vulnerable people with comprehensive debt and benefit advice.
They also build financial resilience through money education, budget coaching, and mentoring.
They're seeking £15 ,000 to meet rising demand for their core services in Wandsworth, including
their complex needs casework and their money skills programme.
They aim to support 150 participants across the year, long project, who will be able to
access support in person and virtually.
The organisation is well established, having been in the borough for the last five years.
They have good referral rates, and they also seek to co -locate alongside appropriate local
agencies like a few banks and other advice services.
Focus of their work is to create long -lasting change for their clients by improving their
immediate financial position and then putting them on a more sustainable footing.
Officers felt they were a clear fit for the fund.
The applicant will be providing targeted support very closely linked to the cost of living
to those on the lowest incomes who are at risk of being trapped in poverty and debt.
These reasons we have recommended them for funding.
Councillor Hidges.
I fully support this, by the way.
I just wondered, just keen to understand how Crosslight will work with the Council's cost
of living have just to make sure there's not any duplication?
That hasn't been referenced in the application, but there is certainly something we'll follow
up on with them.
Great.
Thank you.
Is the committee in agreement?
Yes.
Great.
Thank you.
Moving swiftly on, then.
Paper number six, Earls Field Food Bank.
So Earls Field Food Bank is seeking 15 ,000 pounds
towards the continuation and extension
of its core service offer from October 2025
to September 2026.
They open every Thursday morning from 9 .30 a .m.
to 12 p .m. at St. Andrew's Church on Garrett Lane
and provide beneficiaries impacted by cost of living
with a minimum of three days' worth of emergency food.
They also partner with Citizens Advice and Family Action,
who attend regularly to provide support with benefits,
housing, family -related issues.
Home Community CAF is also based at the same venue,
providing a complimentary service.
Funding will be used to cover the core salary costs
of the food bank manager who is responsible
for coordinating the service, supporting volunteers,
and developing partnerships that enable beneficiaries
to access longer -term support.
The applicant is facing increasing demand
for their services, which is clearly linked
to the cost of living.
Cost of living is now the most elected reason
for participants accessing their service.
Officers noted that the start date of October
is before funding decisions will be made,
so we will need an updated project timeline
and confirmation that no retrospective funding
is being sought.
Officers felt that providing funding for the food manager will ensure consistency of delivery and will help the applicant maintain their current
Capacity to meet increasing demand further develop their capacity and thereby enhance our own sustainability
It's been recommended for these reasons
Can't say just
Just a quick comment on behalf of Councillor Graham. She's just really pleased to see that this one's been
Been recommended. So thank you from her as she's the Councillor in Wansworth common
Could I just ask for a clarification?
In terms of unrestricted reserves, are we asking for three months or six months from
organisations?
So I think we said at the last meeting we'd come back with our officer's approach to this.
So we have looked at this, and really the approach that officers take is to consider
and applicants reserves, obviously,
is a way to assess their financial health, their stability,
and the necessity of the requested funds.
But we aim to take a sort of balanced
and contextual approach that sort of takes into account
not just the size of the reserves,
how to force the type of reserves,
so whether they're restricted or unrestricted,
the size and structure of the organisation,
the nature of their work,
and if they own any sort of significant assets
and the effect of those on their financial position.
Through that we look to really determine if an applicant has a stated reserves policy.
So we would look at that and if they're meeting that policy.
And then we believe that that sort of full approach looks to ensure a fair and proportionate
evaluation and assessment of the financial sustainability and capacity to deliver those
proposed project, so there isn't a sort of cut and dried level, but that's the approach
to officers' take.
Thank you for that, because I know committee members raised this as an issue last time.
I would be interested to see that in practise, I suppose, moving forward in terms of looking
at these papers and the future grant applications, how that rolls through.
And so we might come back again, just queries around one or two applications.
But thank you for putting that together and coming back to us on that.
So moving on to the next one, next paper, paper number seven, Estate Art CIC.
Estate Art are seeking 15 ,000 pounds in funding to provide a warm space and food offer by
running a six -hour weekly Saturday health cafe and two -hour spud night on Wednesdays
at Manrassa Clubroom on the Ordnance site in Roehampton.
The project seeks to deliver a range of light exercise
and wellbeing activities alongside the warm space
and food offer.
The project will run for a period of five months,
from November 2025 to March 2026,
supporting around 40 beneficiaries each week.
Officers felt that the relationship between
their beneficiaries and the impact of the cost of living
could have been explored in greater depth.
The application would have been strengthened
by demonstrating who their beneficiaries are
and how they had been impacted by the cost of living.
Outcomes also appear to be heavily weighted in favour of participant's health and well -being,
and much of the application is framed in these terms.
Advocacy and signposting are mentioned but lack detail and appear secondary to the overriding
health aspect.
Directors shared draught accounts for the most recent financial year, which did show a surplus.
However, they have had net negative assets for some years prior to this.
for these reasons, the application hasn't been recommended.
Any questions?
Nope, okay, great.
Is the committee in agreement?
Thank you.
Paper number eight, Homestart Wandsworth.
Homestart Wandsworth would like 15 ,000 pounds in funding
for their Connect at Home project,
which takes place at Home Community CAF in Osfield.
This weekly lunch club gives families the opportunity to meet and connect in a safe, supportive and encouraging environment.
The sessions take place on Wednesdays between 11am and 1pm.
Alongside the meal, the session is used to provide one to one support, advice and signposting from staff and volunteers.
Representatives from children's services and other charities are invited to attend to provide advice.
Across the 12 -month project, they anticipate supporting 35 unique families, consisting of roughly 36 adults and 53 children.
Demand for the service appears strong, having increased over time, and inflationary costs are referenced as a potential barrier to long -term sustainability.
They are well established and have the capacity and experience to deliver the project.
They have a wide referral network and are active members of pyro -wide forums.
Their approach to monitoring appears sound, and they are currently working towards a more
sustainable structure by strengthening operational fundraising efforts.
For these reasons, the application has been recommended.
Is the committee in agreement?
Yes.
Thank you.
Paper number nine, the Catherine Lowe settlement.
Catherine Lowe's settlement would like £14 ,886 for a project to support ones worth of residence
aged 50 and over, with a particular emphasis on those below pension age who are struggling
with the cost of living.
The project will combine services focused on income maximisation, debt support, employability
and wellbeing.
All delivery will take place at their HQ with regular two -hour workshops on key themes twice
a month for 10 to 30 participants.
Bookable one -to -one support will also be offered
with six appointments per week.
They hope to support around 100 unique individuals.
The application was well evidenced
and the project line as well a priority to the fund.
They will provide a valuable service
to those hard to reach young elders,
opening up a range of targeted support for them
that will help to improve their capacity and resilience.
They appear to have robust monitoring systems in place
and experience and capacity to deliver the project.
For these reasons, we are recommending them for funding.
Councillor Higgins, I know you have a question.
Thank you.
Really respect all of the work that KLS do.
I'm just conscious we have awarded quite a few grants
to KLS this year and last year, I believe.
and I just wondered if there was any way we could find out
whether those grants that have been awarded,
the projects have actually gone into fruition and completed.
That's my only question on this one.
Yeah, we regularly track projects,
project progress, and try to engage with applicants
as much as possible.
We can provide an update on where the
previously funded projects sit, and,
simply, yeah.
Just to clarify in terms of care lists and the projects that they run are very boundaried
and time limited, aren't they?
It's not a contribution to general organisation, but a specific type of project.
Thank you.
Is the committee in agreement?
Great.
Thank you.
Paper number 10, Living Truth CIC.
Living Truth CIC have applied for £14 ,852 in funding to expand the provision of their
weekly after school food and social club and improve the accessibility of their advice,
advocacy and support services.
The different services will run at different times through the year with the advice and
advocacy service running from January to July of 2026.
Once the after school club will operate during term time
from April to December of 2026.
The total expected reach for the project
across all services is significant
at 2 ,880 participants.
The project is designed not only to meet immediate needs
but to provide clear supportive pathways out of crisis
and into long -term stability and self -reliance.
They appear to have strong partnerships in place and are well embedded in the local community.
Referral routes appear good.
An overall approach to monitoring and evaluation robust.
Vicious information has been provided to demonstrate alignment with priorities for the fund.
However, some additional information would have strengthened the application.
The organization's reserves are somewhat low.
However, in the round, officers felt that this application was worthy of support.
Any questions?
Thank you.
It just says end of project reports for both of these projects as in the ones, sorry, page
45 in the comment that the previous two funding projects have ended and end of projects are
due in October and December.
So just checking that the October one has been received
We are still chasing that which is to say they have provided a report we've come back to them requesting additional information
Is the committee in agreement sword great. Thank you
Paper number 11 power to connect
Now, connect.
2 Connect would like 14 ,985 pounds to build an existing
work providing digital access and support for those most
affected by the cost of living crisis.
Currently they run six weekly
drop -in sessions at libraries across the borough with funding
secured until December 2025.
The project will help sustain these services while expanding access by distributing additional
devices and data to meet growing demand.
The project will start in January 2026 and end in July 2026.
They aim to support 550 unique beneficiaries across that time.
They aim to reach a large volume of residents.
The project is targeted in approach to ensure those most in need can access support.
So officers felt that the project reached an impact
that was good.
Range of data provided to support the application
was good and evidence an increase in demand
for their services impacted by the cost of living.
They have a good deal of partners,
150 partners who are actively referring new residents.
They have a sound approach to monitoring
and systems in place to capture outcomes
across different settings.
The project is lined at where we aim to fund
And for these reasons, we recommend the net for funding.
Councillor Riggby.
Yeah, I really love this application.
I think it's the only one that's not food related.
So it's really interesting.
So, I mean, just getting, just digitising CVs, if you've got an old device or you haven't
got Microsoft PowerPoint or Word on it, you just can't do that stuff.
So even if somebody's got a phone.
So I would love to get like a review in a year
of how this has gone.
Because it's just, it's such a,
it's so well written as well what they're trying to do.
I just have a question about this application.
This is a six month project.
And it's wanting to engage with 550 people.
That's a large number of people in six months.
I'm just wondering how realistic that is.
It appears ambitious that I would say I think between June 2024 and May 2025 they did support
490 unique residents through the digital skills and other supported initiatives.
So whilst ambitious, I think it is achievable.
Thank you.
Is the committee in agreement?
Great, thank you.
Okay.
The next one is the Racket's Cubed.
Racket's Cubed have requested £15 ,000 in funding to deliver a range of services focused
on the cost of living, including their social supermarket, community cuppa and solidarity
supper.
The social supermarket benefits approximately 540 people per week, whilst the community
will support 40 and the Solidarity Supper 30.
The activities are aimed at residents living in Brohampton,
an area identified as having the most deprived population
by ward in the borough, and are particularly vulnerable
to the cost of living pressures.
The activities are aimed at residents, sorry,
officers felt that the applicant provided a good level
of data and information to evidence alignment
with fund priorities, particularly regarding
the inflationary pressures they are facing.
A basket of food that would have cost them 25 pounds
to produce in 2022 now cost 40 pounds.
The applicant is well established and linked in with other voluntary and community sector
organisations in the area.
Their note that being one of the mayor's charities last year has had a notably positive impact
on their ability to connect with other charities across the borough.
For these reasons, they are all recommended for funding.
If committee members don't have any questions, I do.
And that's you indicated the start date was due to be in October, and now we're in November,
obviously, as you've indicated.
When is the proposed start date for the project?
We need to seek an updated start project to ensure that we have that.
Thank you.
Is this an agreement?
Okay.
Thank you.
Next one, number 13, Skillful Network CIC.
Skillful Network would like 14 ,500 pounds in funding to deliver their after school food
activity Vice Club from April 2026 to December 2026.
Funding would be used to continue existing delivery
at their Cromwell hub and expand their service
to new sites at Phaenens Children's Centre
and Henry Prince Estate Clubroom.
Each session will include a free meal engaging
after school activities for children
and access to advice and guidance
delivered by a citizen advice trained first aider.
They anticipate supporting over 200 unique individuals
across the project.
It was identified through initial eligibility cheques
that the applicant was only formally incorporated
with CompanySaaS in May 2025.
Because of this, the applicant was unable
to provide 12 months of accounts
and were therefore considered ineligible.
Subsequent discussions, the applicant indicated
that they had been in operation informally for some time.
So it was agreed that should they find
a sponsor organisation, they would be able to progress.
Living Truth CIC confirmed that they would agree
to be that organisation, so the application
was progressed on that basis.
Officers felt that there was merit in the broader offer
as the food and warm spaces offer
generally aligns with the aims of the fund.
However, the application would have been strengthened
if they had explored project need in more depth
and linked demand for their project
to cost the living more effectively.
The applicant didn't clearly demonstrate their capacity
to deliver the project and is for these reasons
that hasn't been recommended for funding.
Any questions?
No?
Okay.
Is the committee in agreement with the recommendation?
Great.
Application number 14, Sound Minds.
Sound Minds are a user -led charity improving mental health and well -being for people living
in Wandsworth through arts, participation, and peer support.
They have applied for £7 ,148 in funding.
They will be used to provide a free hot lunch on Tuesdays for members with serious mental
illness.
Lunches will take place in the lounge at Sall Mines every Tuesday between 12 and 3pm and
run for a year from November 2025.
Beneficiaries will also have access to creative activities, peer and pastoral support.
They expect to feed and engage around 120 participants
across the lifetime of the project.
Officers felt that there was merit in the application
with some evidence to show the impact
of inflationary pressures and the alignment of priority one.
However, the overarching focus of wraparound support
provided appears to be the beneficiaries
of mental health and wellbeing
as opposed to the direct effects
of the increased cost of living.
The application would have strengthened the application
if it had been focused more clearly
on the cost of living and supporting beneficiaries
to deal with and mitigate effects of these pressures.
The application hasn't been recommended for this reason.
Councillor Mccos.
Thank you, Chair.
I'm just interested in other members' thoughts
on this decision.
I'm just looking at two other applications
that are recommended for approval.
which is obviously the Age UK one,
which we've already approved,
and then number 15, St. John the Divine in Earlsfield.
And I just want to drill into the kind of
cost of living threshold, as it were,
because for example, Age UK sort of is a mix.
They were going to offer cost of living slash skills
for later life, and obviously the demographic there
is just elderly people in Wandsworth rather than any specific socioeconomic
factors have been detailed and similarly the St. John the Divine obviously says
that the majority of people that were attending will come from low
socioeconomic backgrounds but initially it just says the project is targeting
residents of the estate and I assume that therefore any resident would be
welcome. So similarly the sound minds sort of seems like it would also
that would benefit people that are struggling
with cost of living, but that isn't recognised as much.
So not a major push, but just keen to get some clarification
and also just hear other members' thoughts.
So I would say from an assessment perspective,
we're looking to see that clear link
with the cost of living wherever possible.
And I think the other applications referenced
probably did a slightly better job establishing
that the participants had been impacted
by the cost of living.
And whilst some of the support offered
would have an impact on their mental health and well -being,
the overarching focus wasn't on the health
and well -being aspect, whereas Zal Minds very clearly was.
That was our thinking behind the assessment.
I'd just like to pick up on your point here.
The project is targeting people from deaf and disabled communities
who are particularly vulnerable during this period of time,
and I'm just wondering whether there is merit in this to go back to them
and help them rework and rethink some of this.
I take on board what you're saying,
But I think this is a group of people who are, during this period of time,
probably more often more isolated, need that social interaction,
and often have lower skills levels in terms of looking after themselves.
And so I'm wondering whether, as I've been interested in the committee's thoughts about whether there's a recommendation to go back and
and re -look at this and help them,
maybe make a new application,
or re -work this in some way, I don't know.
I don't know what the time scale is for this,
but I think in relation to the other applications
that you've brought our attention to,
there are similarities running across.
But I'd be interested to hear
what other committee members think.
Yeah, it seems to be maybe a lack of experience in applying for funding that they've just
not worded it as smartly as some of the other applications.
I haven't seen soundmines come up before.
Have they come up before?
No, they haven't received it.
So they haven't come up before, so it might just be that their lack of experience, because
some of the people here we do see on a regular basis, and they're very good at doing them,
and they've just not quite worded it right.
So I'd kind of maybe go a bit further and say, can we give them this funding, and then
just monitor it really closely.
Is that a proposal from you?
Seconded?
Okay, other committee members?
Okay, okay.
So the proposal is for us to actually grant this application
and monitor it very closely and possibly support
the organisation in terms of helping them understand
and monitoring processes and helping them
with future applications to understand the process
with the writing.
Are we in greed?
Great, thank you very much.
Application number 15, St. John the Divine,
which you've referred to.
So St. John the Divine hopes to establish
a weekly drop -in cafe and have requested £11 ,302 to achieve this.
The drop -in cafe would take place every Monday from 10 .30am to 2pm at St John the Divine Church
in Aylesfield for one year. The project is targeting residents of the Henry Prince Estate,
which joins the church as well as the wider Aylesfield community. They anticipate attracting
individuals of all ages, but those primarily from a low socioeconomic background.
They anticipate supporting 50 unique individuals
across the lifetime of the project.
And in addition to a free lunch,
beneficiaries will have access to a range of support
from exercise classes to social activities
and a six -week life course.
They have established relationships across Southfields
and the wider Wandsworth community.
The project manager responsible for delivery
appears to have a great deal of experience
in delivering this type of social action project.
And the project appears to have
reasonable monitoring systems in place.
The food and warm spaces offer aligns well with priorities of the fund.
However, the strength of the application lies in additional wraparound support that beneficiaries
will have access to, including the life course.
For this reason, the application is recommended.
Are we in agreement?
Thank you.
Nick?
Sorry.
So just coming back on the previous application that you'd suggested to award, I just wanted
to point out that the current recommendations for the fund are 193 ,710 and we've got 200 ,000
available for the fund.
So if we voted for the application for sound mines to be awarded, we're slightly over budget.
budget.
So, what was it, 193?
So, we're over budget by 158.
I was just going to say we discussed earlier in the meeting reducing the budget for, I
believe, AGK, the crafting materials.
So we may be able to free up some budget there if we re -look at that budget.
Yeah.
Great, thank you.
Okay, moving on to the next application, and I've lost my place completely.
Yes, there we go.
Number 16, Storm Family Centre.
Storm Family Centre would like $14 ,964 in funding to deliver breakfast and lunch clubs
at their family centre.
The lunch club will take place weekly whilst the breakfast club will take place every second Saturday.
Both clubs are expected to support roughly 40 residents each.
The food bank and breakfast lunches are seen as a gateway to other services.
The organisation offers and their broader offer includes a range of different activities and support.
The applicant has been delivering a community meal programme
that's supported roughly 120 individuals,
residents so far.
So they do have the capacity and experience
to deliver the project.
Their monitoring systems may not be considered robust,
but they are sufficient for the proposed project.
Officers noted that there was some value in the project
and merit in the support they offer.
However, fundamentally it was felt that the project
was weighted heavily in favour of well -being
as opposed to being targeted and mitigating
the impacts of the cost of living.
The application would have been strengthened
had they demonstrated a stronger link with this.
For these reasons, it hasn't been recommended for funding.
Are we in agreement?
Agree. Agree.
Okay, thank you.
Moving on to the next one, number 17, the Fersdown project.
First down project would like £13 ,550 in funding to deliver a warm and well community
session.
Members will be offered a shared light lunch with a hot drink.
In addition to lunch, beneficiaries will have the opportunity to grow their own vegetables,
take part in member discussions, listen to talks from health professionals and take part
in a range of workshops.
Sessions will be delivered on Tuesdays between 10 a .m. and 12 p .m. at the Trenton Polls Club.
Beneficiaries will include socially isolated adults living in Wandsworth, including those on low incomes, and those with mobility problems.
I anticipate engaging 300 local residents through the lifetime of the project that will run for 12 months from January 2026.
The organisation is well embedded in the community for a range of different activities.
Officers felt that the applicant didn't sufficiently
evidence need with some data provided
but at a very high level.
They indicate for example that 36 % of members
live in 50 % of the most deprived wards.
However this of course doesn't necessarily mean
that those beneficiaries themselves will be deprived
or impacted by the cost of living.
Some aspects of the wider offer would support members
with the cost of living including the debt
and cost of living and energy advice.
However the application would have benefited
from greater clarity around how often and when
these activities would have been delivered.
For these reasons, we haven't recommended them for funding.
Councilman Acosta.
Thanks, Chair.
Sorry, could I just, I missed the last,
there's a sentence where you mentioned the figure 50%,
could you just repeat what that was?
So 36 % of their members live in 50 %
of the most deprived wards in the borough.
Of course, it doesn't necessarily track
that those themselves will be deprived
or struggling with the cost of living.
It was a fairly opaque figure and a statistic provided,
which is one of the reasons why it wasn't
suggested for funding.
I do want to carry on.
Yeah, I mean, again, I would wonder if other committee members would be open to reconsidering
this one.
Notwithstanding that lack of clarity, I think the application does demonstrate clear.
I mean that's what I was acknowledged in the summary.
It does relate to priority one of the fund,
but I guess there's confusion about who,
but I sort of know the project is quite good
and has done lots of good work and is kind of sits,
I mean I live in First Island,
but sits in the heart of the community.
Yeah. Again, not pushing, but if others are interested, then.
Well, I was going to say we've run into an interesting conundrum that if we were to go
down that road, we've run out of money. So...
Can I get clarification from you, Harriet?
Yes, the budget available is 200 ,000 and currently the recommendations were 193 ,710 and then
we were looking at taking some funding off HUK but then awarding the project to sound
mines.
Sorry, that's my mistake.
I thought it was 250, not 200.
Thank you.
I mean, I think in terms of the FERS -DAN, I understand what you're saying.
Some of this activity is already provided by the project already through other means,
et cetera.
So I suppose if we're balancing out organisations, which I hate to do, against each other, we
have given money to organisations that are smaller and actually trying to engage with
different communities.
It's a comparison I don't like to use and I don't wish to use, but actually when we
have a limited pool of money, I think it's one of the things we have to consider as well.
Yeah, no, that's absolutely fair.
Thank you.
So is the Committee in agreement with decision?
Thank you.
Application number 18, Tooting Community Kitchen.
Tooting Community Kitchen would like £15 ,000 to continue running their Monday and Wednesday
lunch club services.
These sessions are held at the Scouts Hall in Tooting and welcome around 30 beneficiaries
each session.
In addition to meals, they provide a range of activities to build skills, opportunities
to access specialist support through stakeholder drop -ins and guidance to improve wellbeing
for those of working age.
they also offer employability support.
They also, officers felt they established a clear link
between the cost of living and the increase in demand
for their services, noting that the number
of beneficiaries supported each year has doubled.
The wraparound support provided will improve
individuals' capacity and resilience.
The applicant is well -networked and has good referral routes,
having collaborated with a wide range of local stakeholders.
is a continuation of a previously funded project,
so they have the necessary capacity and experience
to deliver.
We recommended them funding this one.
Are we in agreement?
Yep, great, thank you.
Okay, we're almost there.
Just hang in there for a short while longer.
Application number 19, Vinyard 61 Church.
Vineyard 61 Church are requesting £14 ,127 in funding to continue delivery at their Balham
Hub, which runs every Monday between 11am and 2pm, hosted at the United Reform Church.
The project aims to support beneficiaries through access to free food via the free hot
meal each week.
If hub attendees are in need, they also give out tinned or packaged food and basic toilet
which we take away with them.
They provide employment support, job seekers,
and support to access benefits
for those who are unable to enter the job market.
They regularly support 25 participants each week.
They provide a great deal of data
and information to establish need,
and a wide support profile is tailored
towards building individual resilience and capacity,
with a view to increasing attendees' financial security,
aspiration, independence, and overall well -being.
They note that inflation pressures
have had an impact on the service with increased costs related to venue hire, utilities and
staffing.
Officers felt the application was a good fit for the programme and have recommended it for
funding.
Are we in agreement?
Great, thank you.
Next one, number 20, Junction Community Trust, otherwise known as Wandsworth Food Bank.
Wandsworth Food Bank are requesting £15 ,000 in funding.
They operate six food bank centres across the borough
where people can access emergency food and toiletries.
Funding will be used primarily to support
the food bank's guest engagement team
and their home delivery service.
The project is expected to run for six months
from November 2025 to April 2026
and they anticipate sporting roughly 700 unique beneficiaries
across the lifetime of the project.
The applicant indicates that low income
was the single biggest reason for referrals
to the food bank at 60%.
They say this is reflective of the impact of rising
essential costs on those with low incomes or on benefits.
Almost nine in 10 beneficiaries indicated that benefit
payments were too low to cover essential costs,
whilst three quarters are not in employment
because of a disability or caring responsibility.
They have demonstrated significant increase in demand
for their service over the last five years,
having seen an increase of 96 % over that time.
They are well networked, have good referral routes and a robust plan for measuring outcomes.
Officers felt they were a clear fit and have recommended for funding.
Are we in agreement?
Great.
Thank you.
And the last one of the evening, number 21, WK Foundation.
WK Foundation would like £14 ,973 in funding to deliver a pilot project called Nourish Kitchen
community lunches where they will provide weekly Friday lunches for vulnerable residents facing
cost -of -living pressures whilst also offering employment and skills development opportunities
to their own nourished candidates and trainees. The lunches will cater to 35 individual residents
each Friday between 12 .30pm and 2 .30pm. The parallel employment and skills development
pathway will provide an opportunity for two nourished graduates to work for seven hours
weekly for a total of 15 weeks.
The project will take place at the well -needed restaurant
on Carrot Lane and is expected to launch
on the 30th of January, 2026, and run until May, 2026.
Whilst WK Foundation is quite a young organisation
having been established in 2023,
their project partner, Well Needed,
has been in operation as a commercial restaurant
for several years and would therefore
have the necessary experience to deliver the project.
There is some alignment with priority one, however, officers felt that the project was
notably short, just 15 weeks, which would limit impact.
The utility of the work experience element was also questioned by officers, given that
it's limited to just two participants, or certainly beneficial for those participants
who would get to take part.
It was unclear why more graduates couldn't be involved in the course, aside, of course,
from the really short project timeline.
And for these reasons, the application wasn't recommended.
Are we in agreement?
Okay, just before we finish, sorry, Councillor Mccas.
Sorry, can we just go back?
I just had a very quick question.
I know we just sort of agreed, that's fine,
but page 27.
Just had a quick question on the budget.
it. Can you remind us which application that is? I've moved my pages. Number four is community
drug and alcohol recovery services. Yeah so just in the budget there's three peer mentors
at 20 pounds per day. I'm just checking that's like an administrative cost to facilitate
the mentoring rather than people being paid 20 pounds an hour a day. Obviously that would
be very low. Yes, that was in effect volunteer costs for those. We weren't advocating paying
£20 a day. Thank you. Just before we finish, I just want to say a big thank you to all
the officers concerned. I know there's a lot of work that goes into preparing these reports,
a lot of work following through and talking to the various applicants and giving guidance
and help as well.
And I know we go through these, it seems to be quite quick, but I just want to acknowledge
the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes in relation to this that the public
often don't see.
And a big thank you from myself and from the other committee members.
And also to the other committee members for actually coming along and participating and
taking part and also challenging some of the decisions.
I think that's also very healthy.
So thank you very much.
And on that note, that concludes the business of the committee.
Thank you for your attendance and have a good evening, everyone.