Agenda item

To consider the review of the revenue and capital community grants scheme.

The Panel considered the review of community capital and revenue grants.

The Service Manager – Revenues, Benefits and Customer Services outlined the report highlighting that community grants were made available each year, whereby organisations were invited to apply for funding.  Members were involved via a Task and Finish Group to assess applications and form recommendations which were taken forward through scrutiny and onto Cabinet for determination.  A range of organisations receive funding to support to residents, on matters such as mental health or the cost of living crisis. 

The process for the grants awarded for the current financial year was detailed in section 7.1 of the report.  The Panel noted that it had required a significant level of administration, the volume of applications had been unprecedented and therefore the expectations of organisations who had applied for funding needed to be managed.

The review of community grants considered eligibility criteria for revenue grants, and proposed seven options for the Panel to consider.  In relation to capital grants, it was proposed that a set of additional principles be agreed for inclusion to the scheme and that applications that meet the criteria would be scored against a matrix of criteria, for example, value for money and meeting the Corporate Plan priorities.

It was recognised by members that the Task and Finish Group for the Community Infrastructure Levy had considered applications which had been scored against a matrix system.  This process had worked well as a detailed assessment had been carried out by officers and each eligible application had been scored.  Members had then sought clarification in relation to specific matters on some applications.  A response was then provided at a later meeting to members.

The Panel discussed the options presented in the report in relation to the revenue grants.  The view was expressed by a number of Panel members that they wished to continue to be involved in community grant process and therefore felt that options 2 and 3 were best suited for this.  They recognised that these options would reduce administration and ensure that applications meet minimum criteria.  There was a discussion regarding whether organisations should continue to be invited to give a presentation in relation the revenue applications. It was felt that the applicant should be invited to attend, where appropriate, enabling members to still scrutinise applications and ask questions to obtain clarity to support their decision making and recommendations.

The Community Funded lottery scheme was discussed which could run alongside the existing revenue grant scheme.  Members agreed to explore this further through the Community Grants Task and Finish Group to understand how it could operate and provide further grant funding opportunities. 

A member asked for clarification on the reasons behind the option of three year grants.  The Service Manager – Revenues, Benefits and Customer Services reported that some organisations apply each year and were successful in gaining funding, and if they met key council priorities or support Council services it could be beneficial to award a longer term grant which would give that organisation more financial stability and certainty.

A member questioned the possibility of increasing the councillors’ community engagement grant from the current amount of £600 per year, particularly in recognition that the proposed minimum community revenue grant request would be £3,000, leaving a gap.  The Service Manager Revenues, Benefits and Customer Service reported that the budget allocation for all community grants would be considered through the Task and Finish Group process. 

RECOMMENDED:

That the Panel recommend to Cabinet the following 

1.     That the proposed eligibility criteria for the Revenue Grant scheme, as detailed in Section 9.1 of the report be adopted;

2.     That Option 2 (Multi-year project and 1 year awards Task and Finish Group) be adopted, with an amendment to invite organisations to the Task and Finish Group to answer member questions and provide clarity to specific matters on the application.

3.     That the proposed process and eligibility criteria for the capital grant scheme be adopted, as detailed in section 11 of the report; and

4.     That the Community Grants Task and Finish Group explore and consider a Community lottery funded scheme to run alongside the Community Grants programme, as detailed in section 10.7 of the report.