To monitor progress and report achievements resulting from those grant allocated to Community and Voluntary Organisations 2016/17

The Head of Community Servicessubmitted a report which detailed the proposed allocation of grants to community and voluntary organisations through the Community Grants Programme.

The Executive Board Member, Culture and Communities presented the report and thanked the Grants & External Funding Officer and her colleagues for their continuing hard work in this area.  She said that this programme was a good example of how the Council continued to work with the local community and voluntary sector to alleviate poverty and create a vibrant city for all residents.  She said that the current political and economic climate meant the Council’s grant programme faced increasing pressures and so it was essential that the grant applications were subject to a robust evaluation process.

She also thanked the Scrutiny Committee for its comments, noting the suggestions that the evaluation criteria might need to be reviewed in the future in the light of the wider economic climate and cuts to County Council services and also that consideration should be given to increasing the funding available through the “open bidding” element of the scheme.

Subject to Council subsequently agreeing the grants budget as set out in Table 1 of the report, the City Executive Board resolved to:

1.    Approve the recommendations for the second year of a three year commissioning programme as listed in Appendix 1;

2.    Approve the recommendations for the applications received to the grants annual open bidding programme as set out in Appendix 2; and

3.    Approve the recommendation to delegate authority to the Executive Director for Organisational Development and Corporate Services in conjunction with the Executive Members for Customer and Corporate Services and Culture and Communities to allocate the residual unallocated funding (£20,000) in the Advice and Money Management commissioning theme.