Agenda item

Report of Senior Head of Community.

Cabinet lead member: Councillor Margaret Bannister.

Exempt information reason 3.  Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

Grants awarded to voluntary and community organisations in 2016/17 subject to council approval of budget on 17 February and priorities for small grants in 2017/18 be agreed as set out in report.

66.1 Cabinet considered the report of the senior head of community on the small grants element of the community grants programme.  It was proposed that a budget of £60,000 continue to be made available.  Given the financial constraints on the council at present, the proposed budget continued to protect the voluntary and community sector as a whole from significant reductions in spending on their activities by this council.

66.2 In addition to the small grants programme, cabinet had previously agreed major grants for the three years from 2016/17 to 2018/19 as follows:

66.3 It was reported that the council also supported voluntary and community organisations in a variety of other ways including:

·         The award of rent support grants to some organisations occupying council properties to the value of £139,570. 

·         Discretionary rate relief awards to voluntary and community sector occupying premises in the town with a budget in 2015/16 of £52,575.

·         Allocation of £90,000 each year to the council’s devolved ward budget scheme, with ward councillors were able spend up to £10,000 on quick fix one-off works or initiatives to improve the lives of local residents. Local residents could make suggestions on how this money should be spent by contacting their local councillor.

In total the council’s direct support to voluntary and community organisations amounted to over £575,358. 

66.4 The current community grants policy agreed by cabinet in 2015 set out the eligibility criteria for applications. These were designed to reflect the limited budget available and the wide demand for funding within the voluntary and community sector. The aim was to ensure that resources were spent where services were most needed and that robust arrangements were in place for managing any grant.  Applications for large capital items could not be considered.  Similarly applications for services which duplicated existing services and were available and funded elsewhere were ineligible. There must also be a clear financial need for funding and organisations with large unrestricted reserves or which made a significant surplus could not be funded.  The policy also excluded any organisation which itself awarded grants to other organisations.  Applicants are also required to have adequate governance and equality policies in place.  Applicants were also required to have adequate governance and equality policies in place.

66.5 The agreed priorities were:

·         Projects designed to promote inclusion and the needs of those communities and groups protected under current equality legislation.

·         Projects designed to promote digital inclusion.

·         Projects designed to promote emotional health and well-being.

·         Services to children and families.

66.6 Twenty-six expressions of interest had been submitted totalling £153,920.  Four were judged ineligible and a further 4 did not address the agreed priorities.  Of the 18 organisations invited to apply in full 16 applications were received totalling £106,533.

66.7 The following recommendations were made by the council’s grants task group:

The recommended allocations reflected the relevance of the application to the priorities agreed and the quality of the application itself. 

66.8 The task group recommended that cabinet approve the following priorities for the small grants programme in 2017/18.

·         Projects which promote the inclusion of groups protected under the Equalities Act.

·         Projects which provide mental health services with a particular focus on young people.

·         Projects to reduce social isolation in vulnerable people.

·         Community buildings – one off small grants to help voluntary organisations increase the involvement of local residents as volunteers to help run the buildings and/ or new activities within those buildings; or to develop business plans to put them on a more sustainable financial footing.

66.9 Resolved (key decision): (1) That the proposals for the award of small grants as recommended by the grants task group and set out above be approved.

(2) That the reasons given by the task group for the allocation of funding based on an assessment against the criteria set out in the council’s community grants policy be endorsed.

(3) That it be noted that the foregoing resolutions are subject to the approval by full council at their meeting on 17 February 2016 of the council’s budget for 2016/17.

(4) That the priorities for the award of small grants in 2017/18 be agreed.

(Notes: (1) Exempt information reason 3 (information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority) holding that information).

(2) The above minute and associated report to cabinet was made public following the cabinet’s decision.)