This report is for the City Executive Board to make decisions on the allocation of grants to the community and voluntary organisations for 2015/2016.  This report will be submitted in February 2015.

A further monitoring report on the reported achievements resulting from those grant allocations will be submitted to the City Executive Board in June 2016.

The Head of Community Services submitted a report that informed members of the monitoring findings of the 2015/16 grants programme.

Cllr Simm, Board Member for Culture and Communities presented the report.  She explained that we currently have an increased demand for community grants but a shrinking grants budget. People are aware that there is less money available and are collaborating ie joint bidding. She said that people in Oxford were very good at responding to need and there were lots of people across the city wanting to help which the Council needed to support.

The social and economic geography of Oxford is changing  with the County Council cutting services ie children centres closing have increased need in that area.

Cllr Simms explained that recommendation 2 was aspiration at the moment but officers are doing a lot of partnership work. However we need to get more strategic about it.

Cllr Brown asked what would be the impact on the city of lost EU funding?  The Board agreed the need to record the organisations who receive EU funding and to remind the government of their promise to maintain funding.

Cllr Tanner said it was important for Oxford to retain its international links and money should be put into twining associations and European groups. The Council should look at creating an Eastern European twin.

Cllr Simm replied that the Communities team was actively engaging with the polish community and making sure they had the services they need.

The City Executive Board resolves to:

1.    NOTE the results of the grant monitoring, the positive impact the community and voluntary sector is making in the city.

2.    WORK with partners to understand the issues facing the community and voluntary sector in greater depth so we are better able to target our support where it is most needed and will have the greatest impact.