A new bidding window opened on Monday for groups and community organisations to bid for money from the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy for project to improve their area. In previous years this money has been underspent.
The criteria have been reviewed and the theme for this round is 'Recovery' ..from the Pandemic.
Brent is divided into five ‘CIL Neighbourhoods’: Harlesden, Kilburn and Kensal, Kingsbury and Kenton, Wembley, and Willesden. The total available is £2m with Wembley allocated £1m and the four other areas £250,000. Already questions are being asked on social media as to why Wembley gets 4 times the amount allocated to other areas. Previously the answer provided has been that the Wembley area's residents have been hit more by redevelopment.
Types of project
Help is offered for groups in preparing their bids and it is a good idea to contact your councillor to get backing for your project. APPLICATIONS CLOSE ON MAY 3rd.
This is just a summary, full details and application forms are available on the Brent Council website HERE
Below you can find a line of projects previously funded and completion details. Click bottom right corner for enlarged page.
If people are (wrongly) complaining about the amount of NCIL Wembley residents are being allocated, they should take a look at SCIL allocations. It’s absolutely eye-watering for Wembley when they’ve contributed the lion’s share of CIL (thanks to all the developments, I’m sure residents wouldn’t complain if they were to go elsewhere, in another area), yet are getting peanuts in return. The money is going to the other side of the borough, it’s not right.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSeeing the massive disparity between the amount allocated to Wembley - £1 million - and that allocated to other areas - £250,00 - supposedly because it has seen more development, makes me wonder why the Kilburn area (South Kilburn in particular) has never been allocated such a vast amount despite being a giant building site for 15 years already and another 15 to come. Moreover, the label "Neighbourhood Infrastructure Levy" is a bit of a misnomer. The criteria for making a bid hardly allow for genuine community organisations to apply, as shown by the fact that previous awards have been mainly to developers and organisations which are essentially a part of Brent Council. Efforts to suggest that such monies could be used for something as basic as improving "the worst road in Brent" - Coventry Close - have come to nothing."
ReplyDeletePeter- NCIL has never been given to the a property developer, you are referring to Strategic CIL which is a whole other argument. All the various charities and community organisations it has been awarded to are listed on this blogpost. Nothing but worthwhile causes. Also as far as I understand, from attending Brent Connects, there has never not been enough money in a ward for a bid to be rejected because of lack of funds. Projects are funded from the Wembley pot if they are cross borough bids, which a lot are (hopefully that approach still remains)
ReplyDelete