Southwark residents, community groups and local organisations can apply for a new round of neighbourhood funding after the council opened its 2027/28 application window on Monday 5 October. Applications close at 11.59pm on Sunday 1 November. The round supports ideas intended to make neighbourhoods more affordable, greener and safer, but funding is not due to become available until April 2027.
The scheme brings together three existing council funding programmes: Cleaner Greener Safer, the Devolved Highways Budget and the Neighbourhoods Fund. They support different types of spending, so the amount sought depends on whether a proposal is for activities, street works or a physical improvement.
For events and ongoing community activity, applicants can seek up to £5,000. Examples include a street party, celebration, sports session, class or art workshop. This stream can meet practical running costs such as venue hire, equipment, workshop delivery, volunteer expenses, food and publicity. The council’s guidance excludes salaries and ongoing administration costs.
Street improvement proposals can seek up to £30,000. Examples include safer crossings, dropped kerbs and cycle parking. These are works to the public street rather than grants for a group’s routine costs. A separate capital stream offers up to £40,000 towards construction or improvement projects, including community gardens, wildlife areas, planting, lighting, fencing, bicycle storage, children’s playgrounds and ball courts.
People who live or work in Southwark can apply. Applications may come from individuals as well as community groups with a written constitution, tenant and resident associations, charities and clubs. That means a neighbourhood idea does not have to be put forward by a large organisation, although the proposed spending must fit the relevant programme and its rules.
After the application period, applicants are expected to have an opportunity to present their ideas to ward councillors. The council’s published timetable puts presentation and pitch meetings in January and February 2027, followed by decision meetings in March. Funding is scheduled to become available in April. The process therefore gives residents time to put forward a proposal, but an application is not an immediate promise of money or approval.
Free help sessions are planned during October. An online session is scheduled for Thursday 8 October from 6pm to 7pm. In-person support is due at the council offices on Queen’s Road in Peckham on Monday 12 October from 2pm to 4pm, and at 160 Tooley Street on Thursday 15 October, also from 2pm to 4pm. Residents need to register before attending.
The opening came later than last year’s round, which began on 8 September 2025. Southwark Labour has criticised the delay, saying it could affect organisations that depend on the grants year after year and the residents who rely on their services. Labour has pointed to the council’s planned move from its current Neighbourhood model to Community Councils from 2027 as the cause. That is the opposition party’s explanation; the council’s timetable sets out the new round’s dates but does not give a reason for the later opening.
Among the community projects previously associated with the grants are work by Bermondsey Community Kitchen and Millwall Community Trust. The South London Gallery has also received support for free art and culinary workshops in Peckham. Its head of communities and learning, Paul Crook, said the money helped keep those activities accessible to local families during a difficult funding period.
The current round is therefore relevant both to groups seeking support and to residents with a specific improvement in mind. The key practical distinction is between money to run an activity, funding for a street change and capital support to build or improve a local facility. Applicants must submit by 11.59pm on 1 November and should allow for the later ward-level pitch and decision stages before any funding begins.
