Main Grants 2026 – 2029 Consultation

Overview

This consultation is about the proposed priorities for, and approach to, Lewisham Council’s Main Grants programme 2026 - 2029.   

This consultation takes place in the context of a reduction to the Main Grants budget which has been agreed as part of a review of the council’s budget due to the ongoing underfunding of public services.

Why your views matter

However, the Council continues to face substantial financial challenges, with an anticipated overspend of £22 million in 2024/2025, even after utilising £9m in one-off measures. Additionally, there is a projected budget shortfall of £30 million for 2025/2026. To bring down this figure there is a comprehensive series of transformation programmes aimed at making services more efficient and reducing costs. This means the budget for the Main Grant to voluntary organisations will be reduced, resulting in a 14% cut to the programme for 2026-2029. This represents a reduction of approximately 30% in real terms when factoring in inflation since 2021. 

In order to best meet the needs of the borough and in the context high levels of need, an increased focus on the delivery of services at a local level, and an overall reduction in resources, we have carefully reviewed the impact and learning from the last round of Main Grants to inform proposed changes to the programme. 

The consultation for this round of the Main Grants Programme focuses on two broad areas: Advice Services and Service Delivery and Infrastructure. 

Due to the ongoing impact of the cost-of-living crisis on residents, we believe that Advice Services delivered at scale and supporting those most in need are essential. The consultation seeks input on priorities for the funding of advice services, which we the propose to commission rather than allocate as a grant in the next round.    

We are also consulting on two possible options with regards to Service Delivery and Infrastructure. These include: 

• Maintaining the current priorities, offering similar project and service delivery grants (but less due to the reduction in funding), and continuing to fund specific infrastructure projects that have been successful in the last round. 

OR 

• Moving to a focus on infrastructure and integration with neighbourhood teams, including locality-based infrastructure, local capacity building and coordination. 

The consultation is aimed at voluntary and community organisations that provide services in the borough but also all individual residents. We would also welcome the views of other public or private sector partners who work with the voluntary and community sector in Lewisham. 

The consultation will be open for 8 weeks from 31st March to 25th May 2025, the same duration as the consultation for the current programme.  

There are several ways to respond to this consultation: 

1. Via this online survey (read the consultation document, then scroll to the bottom of the page to give us your views). 

2. By post to: Community Development Team, 3rd Floor, Laurence House, 1 Catford Road, London SE6 4RU 

3. By attending an online (MS Teams) or in person consultation meeting on the following dates: 

• 3rd April 2pm - 3:30pm (online) 

• 9th April 11am - 1pm, Orchard Gardens Community Centre, SE13 

• 24th April 10am - 12pm, Evelyn Community Centre, SE8 

• 29th April 10am -12pm, Forest Hill Library, SE23 3HZ 

• 1st May 2pm – 3:30pm, Bellingham Leisure Centre, SE6 3BT 
   
• 1st May 6pm - 7:30 pm (online) 
   
• 8th May 10am - 11:30am (online)
   
• 15th May 10am - 11:30am - Civic Centre, SE6 9SE

 
Please note that attendance at these online or in person consultation meetings must be booked in advance by emailing main.grants@lewisham.gov.uk. 

We want to ensure that this consultation is accessible to all organisations and individuals who want to take part. We will therefore ensure that any residents or representatives of the VCS who need support to fill in the responses can do so by speaking directly with a member of our team. Please e-mail us at main.grants@lewisham.gov.uk or call us on 020 8314 7249 and we will get back to you to arrange a suitable time. 

Once the consultation has closed all responses will be considered and a summary of responses collated and included in a report to Mayor and Cabinet in July 2025.  This report will seek approval for the criteria and approach for the Main Grants Programme 2026 - 2029, and confirmation that Mayor and Cabinet are happy for us to invite applications for funding.  

Please read the following consultation document BEFORE answering the 'Online Survey' as this will provide you with all of the necessary background information. For ease of reference this document is also attached here as a downloadable PDF: