Tower Hamlets councillors have proposed inviting Cabinet members to join them on visits to funded projects across the borough to gain a more comprehensive understanding of their work.
The suggestion, made during a Grants Determination (Cabinet) Sub-Committee meeting on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, aims to provide Cabinet members with direct, firsthand observation of the projects they oversee. Currently, the committee receives quarterly performance reports for the Mayor's Community Grants Programme (MCGP), which funds 105 live projects. The MCGP is categorised into five themes: Tackling the Cost-of-Living Crisis, Accelerate Education, Culture, Business, Jobs and Skills, Invest in Public Services, and Empower Communities and Fight Crime.
Councillor Abdi Talha Chowdhury proposed that when councillors visit funded organisations, relevant Cabinet members should also be invited, particularly for themed visits aligned with their portfolios. This initiative seeks to enhance the understanding of funded projects beyond written reports.
Councillor Chowdhury also put forward a proposal to include previous RAG (Red, Amber, Green) ratings in future reports. This would offer a clearer view of project progression over time. The criteria for these ratings are as follows: Green indicates a project is on track, Amber signifies issues that can be resolved with support, and Red denotes serious issues posing a risk to the project meeting its lifetime aims, objectives, and targets.
Specific examples of projects that have faced challenges were highlighted in the performance reports. In the January to March 2026 report, several projects were rated 'Amber':
- SocietyLinks – Rainbow Links: Rated Amber pending evidence of impact measurement and clarity on outcomes.
- Deafplus – Improving deaf and hard of hearing residents' English, Maths and digital skills: Delivery was impacted by staffing instability.
- Tower Hamlets Parents Centre – Women's Health Matters: Participant numbers dropped due to Ramadan, and an annual impact report was not submitted.
- Council of Mosques – CoM Community Empowerment Project: While strong narrative information was provided, quantified data or structured evidence demonstrating robust data collection and outcome measurement was lacking.
In the April to June 2026 performance report, two projects remained 'Amber':
- Toynbee Hall - Playful Tower Hamlets - Nurturing Bodies and Minds: Rated Amber due to staffing transition issues affecting school-based sessions.
- Council of Mosques - CoM Community Empowerment Project: Remained Amber due to ongoing challenges with providing quantified data and structured evidence of outcome measurement.
These examples could provide valuable insights for Cabinet members if observed firsthand during joint visits.
The meeting's agenda and public reports pack can be found at Agenda frontsheet 14th-Oct-2026 17.30 Grants Determination Cabinet Sub-Committee and Public reports pack 14th-Oct-2026 17.30 Grants Determination Cabinet Sub-Committee respectively. Minutes from a previous meeting on 01 July 2026 are available here. Information regarding declarations of interest can be accessed here.