Agenda item

To consider the recommendations for community grant allocation for 2026/27 from the Community Grants Task and Finish Group.

The Service Manager, Revenues Benefits and Customer Services provided an overview on the Community Grant Funding for 2026/27 and asked the Panel to consider the recommendations of the Community Grants Task and Finish Group.

The Chairman of the Community Grants Task and Finish Group stated that it had been a difficult role for the Group to decide who to award funding to and that they supported the report.  However, they were concerned that following the recommendations of the Group that they had not been consulted on recommendation 4 relating to proposals for expenditure in 2027/28.

The Chairman of the Community Grants Task and Finish Group did not support this additional recommendation. He felt it would lead to a lower amount of funding being awarded to Band B Revenue Grant applicants and that the ringfencing for Band A Revenue Grants should be removed.  In response, the Chief Operations Officer explained that the additional recommendation was part of a long-term vision brought about by local government reorganisation and the need to protect the current process due to the timetable for the future Community Grants Task and Finish Group and its impact on budgets.  It was possible that the new Council could change the community grants process as part of its financial prudence, and the proposed recommendation would provide an opportunity to ensure a medium-term legacy for residents of the New Forest.

Two members of the Community Grants Task and Finish Group also spoke against this additional officer recommendation. 

Panel members were concerned that criteria were proposed to be introduced for a future Community Grants Task and Finish Group which had not been discussed by the Group and would be more restrictive.

The Portfolio Holder for Community, Safety and Wellbeing thanked members for their feedback and reiterated his thanks to the members and Officers involved in the Community Grants Task and Finish Group.  The Portfolio Holder confirmed that he had attended the summary at the end of the Task and Finish Group and that there was uncertainly with local government reorganisation.  

The Housing and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel considered a change to the recommendations presented in the report relating to the 4^th recommendation. This was for any further procedural changes brought about by local government reorganisation to be considered by the Community Grants Task and Finish Group and agreed through the Portfolio Holder for Community, Safety and Wellbeing.

RESOLVED:

That the Panel made the following recommendations to Cabinet:

1. To approve Community grants totalling £157,500 in revenue grants and £97,949 in capital grants, as detailed in Appendix 1, for inclusion in the Medium-Term Financial Plan and proposed budget for 2026/27;

2. To approve the proposals, as detailed in Paragraph 19;

3. To approve the Community Transport grants totalling £44,359, as set out in Paragraph 25; and

4. To award Band A organisations a rolling 3-year award, if agreed by the Community   Grants Task and Finish Group, and for any further procedural changes brought about by local government reorganisation to be considered by the Community Grants Task and Finish Group and agreed through the Portfolio Holder for Community, Safety and Wellbeing.