Issue - meetings

Councillor Hadley took part in the debate on this item, but did not vote due to her declaration of interest.

Matter for Decision

This is the annual report for the Community Grants fund for voluntary, community, and not for profit organisations. It provides an overview of the process, eligibility criteria and budget.

Decision of Executive Councillor for Communities

Approved the Community Grants to voluntary and community organisations for 2020-21, as set out in Appendix 1 of this report, subject to the budget approval in February 2020 and any further satisfactory information required of applicant organisations.

Reason for the Decision

As set out in the Officer’s report.

Any Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

Not applicable.

Scrutiny Considerations

The Committee received a report from the Community Funding and Development Manager.

The Community Funding and Development Manager said the following in response to Members’ questions:

      i.         People were supported and guided through the application process.

    ii.         Workshops were held before the current funding application cycle started. Information and advice was given on funding available, plus signposts to alternative funding streams if these appeared more appropriate for applicants.

   iii.         Officers continued to offer support to people after they submitted applications. Officers involved in the process came from the Communities Team, as well as others, who could provide expert advice to check if projects were pertinent for funding.

  iv.         Officers did not just say “no” to applications, they tried to ascertain if community funding or another fund was more appropriate.

    v.         Applicants could reapply several times in the same funding cycle if they were unsuccessful on the first attempt.

  vi.         There were several projects to help people get into volunteering. A fund was available to provide help/training to do this. Training/supervision of volunteers could be issues that affected recruitment/retention. The City Council was working with the Council for Voluntary Services to address this.

 vii.         The same application process applied to new Applicants and those who had previously made applications. New Applicants were encouraged to liaise with Officers who could then support them through the application process.

viii.         Different levels of information were sought from Applicants depending on the level of funding applied for.

  ix.         Funding was not allocated to projects where:

a.    They were not appropriate for the funding stream.

b.    They were duplicates of an existing project.

c.    There was insufficient information on the application form.

The Committee resolved by 7 votes to 0 to endorse the recommendation.

The Executive Councillor approved the recommendation.

Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Executive Councillor (and any Dispensations Granted)

No conflicts of interest were declared by the Executive Councillor.