ADHS24 - ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR OPEN CITY

1.1 Open City is an education charity empowering the community to learn about, experience and have a role in shaping the places where they live. Open City runs and operates the Young People’s education programme which supports children and young people from under-represented communities to learn about and be empowered to pursue careers in city-making.

1.2 In summer 2024, OPDC sponsored two programmes (approved via DD185 for £15,000), as part of a collective initiative to engage both primary and SEN school children in city making and build awareness of their roles in shaping cities. With the use of OPDC funding and match funding from Open City, 330 children in total were engaged with from six schools in OPDC’s host boroughs. 

1.3 In 2025, further funding was approved via ADHS15 to support programme delivery for 2025 and 2026. Following reconciliation of actual delivery costs: 

• The It’s My City Too programme cost £7,200
• Young City Makers programme cost £18,000

1.4 Funding approved under ADHS15 exceeded the final costs of delivery for the 2025 programme, resulting in an underspend of £4,800. This underspend has been offset against the total programme costs for 2025 and 2026.  

1.5 This programme continued in 2026, building on established partnerships with local schools and demonstrating a consistent approach to engaging young people in the built environment. 

1.6 This decision ensures that the total funding aligns with actual programme costs across both years and represents a continuation and extension of previously approved activity and supports OPDC’s objectives around community engagement, inclusive growth and increasing awareness of the built environment sector among young people.

2.1 Open City delivered the programme between May and June 2026.  

2.2 Open City delivered the following activities as part of the agreement:

• organised the partnership of professional practices working in the built environment sector with one or more primary schools in or near to the OPDC area;
• created and distributed kit/craft boxes and work booklets to enable each school to complete the project;
• managed the delivery of in-school workshops for one year group of KS2 students and one site visit for each class;
• Provided a selection of photography recording the workshops for the OPDC to use for its promotional purposes.
• training for staff and/or contractors to participate in Open City Youth Engagement Training and then to mentor, facilitate or lead workshops with young people (subject to the provision of a DBS certificate);
• organised a final celebration ceremony in July 2026 at the end of the programme where OPDC can present the winners with awards and there will also be an opportunity to promote the work of OPDC at that event.

2.3 Delivery was overseen through regular engagement between OPDC and Open City, to ensure delivery remains in line with agreed objectives.

3.1 The programme aims to:

• Increase awareness of OPDC and its work among local schools and young people
• Promote interest in the built environment sector with pupils and teachers
• Support OPDC’s wider community engagement objectives, particularly with underrepresented diverse groups and organisations

Expected outcomes

3.2 The outcomes are: 

• Student visits to MEPC sites

• Volunteer opportunities with youth engagement training

• Brand recognition and trust

• Community awards exhibition/ceremony

• Reaching approximately 180 additional local children together with their teachers and parents

• Building teamwork, oracy, cultural capital

• Improve and increase understanding of participants about the built environment and its impact on their lives
• Increased awareness of OPDC, its role and opportunities for community engagement
• Increase participation of young people, including those from underrepresented groups, in the built environment. Open City will provide a report to summarise the reach and impact of the programme. 

4.1 OPDC has a responsibility to engage all sections of the community in its work and to promote involvement in the built environment. This project provides an excellent opportunity to involve young people in the work of OPDC and to promote involvement in the built environment.

4.2 This also builds on the objectives set out in our both our community Engagement Strategy and our EDI strategy. It does this through:

• Building and nurturing connections / relationships – this work will enable us to connect with different groups and use different methods to engage with them.
• Continue to care for and celebrate the local area – members of staff will be volunteering their time to take part in the programme and this will help increase our presence in the area
• Enabling opportunities for young people to shape the future of the area – by providing a pathway to a career in the built environment, nurturing their talent and creativity.

4.3 Collaboration - Fostering and promoting a collaborative approach, listening to, sharing ideas with and building relationships with our partners, stakeholders, communities and each other. This also builds relationships with local schools and gives them an opportunity to feed into our wider plans.

4.4 Inclusivity - Championing London’s rich diversity, where everyone is welcome and valued, ensuring we create an equitable culture within the team and that the places we create do too. By working with schools, we are reaching audiences that are typically harder to reach and showing them the impact they can have on major changes in the area where they live.

4.5 Curiosity - This programme allows us to understand experiences of young people and their perspectives on the built environment.

4.6 Integrity - With some of our consultations and team taking part this shows our commitments to the community and shows our desire to hear from a wide range of audience.

4.7 Delivery – The work that has been completed by the schools will be fed back to the design teams and consultants.

4.8 Community – As OPDC is a young area (45.4% of the population is up to the age of 29) it is important that we engage with this group and understand their needs and aspirations.

5.1 The work was overseen by the Director of Planning, the Director of Communications and Engagement and the Head of Regeneration and Economic Development.

5.2 Open City provided updates during the programme and at the end of the programme they will provide a summary report of the numbers of young people engaged and the feedback received from both the students and staff at the schools. 

Timeline

5.3 The work with the primary schools has commenced and will take place over May and June of 2026. 

6.1 Whilst previous programmes delivered in 2024 and 2025 have been successful, the following risks have been identified for the 2026 programme and will be actively managed through appropriate mitigation and oversight. 

6.2 This initiative will be overseen by the project sponsors, there will be regular check-ins with Open City to ensure that risks are being appropriately treated to prevent them from becoming issues. 

7.1 OPDC must have ‘due regard’ to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation as well as to the need to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. 

7.2 The protected characteristics and groups are: age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, gender, religion or belief, sexual orientation and marriage/ civil partnership status. Fulfilling this duty involves having due regard to: the need to remove or minimise any disadvantage suffered by those who share a protected characteristic or one that is connected to that characteristic; taking steps to meet the different needs of such people; and encouraging them to participate in public life or in any other activity where their participation is disproportionately low. Compliance with the Equality Act may involve treating people with a protected characteristic more favourably than those without the characteristic. The duty must be exercised with an open mind and at the time a Decision is taken in the exercise of the OPDC’s functions.

7.3 The focus of this initiative is to promote education and careers in the built environment, which whilst only benefiting young people, children of all races, genders, disabilities, orientations and religions will be given equal opportunity to benefit from this scheme, and no child with protected characteristics will be held at a disadvantage.

7.4 Through both programmes we are able to engage with two main protected groups that are those who are young and those who are classed as disabled. This enables us to reach and engage with them in a creative way.

7.5 This programme is proactive and innovative to creating equitable opportunities for all regardless of background, race, age, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation or ability.

7.6 Delivery will be designed to ensure accessibility for SEN participants, including appropriate adjustments to workshop formats and materials. 

8.1 Inclusive Growth – the purpose of the grant funding is the promote education and career choices within the built environment to young people. This initiative encapsulates inclusive growth benefits for all young people.

8.2 Community Engagement – this initiative is an example of the promotion of social value, especially through community engagement and participation. This will also enable us to meet with groups that are not normally engaged in process. 

Consultations and impact assessments

9.1 Open City ensure that all health and safety impacts are addressed.

Communications and engagement

9.2 This widens our engagement with the younger population and fits in with the wider strategy of engaging with a diverse audience.

Safeguarding

9.3 All staff participating in the Open City programmes will be trained and will be subject to the provision of DBS certifications.

Data protection

9.4 Apart from participation numbers, limited personal data may be processed where photography or recorded outputs are used. 

9.5 Open City will be responsible for ensuring appropriate consent is obtained from schools, parents/guardians, and that all data is processed in accordance with UK GDPR requirements. Any data shared with OPDC will be managed in line with OPDC data protection policies. 

10.1 No one involved in the preparation or clearance of this Form, or its substantive proposal, has any conflict of interest.

11.1 This workstream is outside of the approved FY 26/27 budget allocation. However, it would be managed through the reallocation of existing resources in Planning Policy budget.  

12.1 No separate legal review is required as this decision is in line with OPDC’s governance policies and procedures, including its Scheme of Delegation and Contracts and Funding Code.

• ADHS15 – Open City Pathway Programme 2025

• DD185 – Open City Pathway Programme 2024