Issue - meetings

The Executive Director of Resources presented a report detailing proposals for Officers to receive delegated authority to manage funding allocated to the Council by the Government to help manage local recovery following the Covid-19 pandemic.  The Committee was advised that this did not relate to the business grant funding, which had been discussed earlier in the meeting.  Instead, the delegation would enable Officers to utilise funding provided by the Government for recovery purposes in a timely manner, rather than having to wait until use of the funds was approved at a Council meeting.  There was a risk that, if the Council could not act quickly in respect of this additional funding, the authority would lose out on an opportunity to secure further funding for recovery purposes.  Should authority be delegated to Officers, it would only be used following consultation with the Leader and Officers would need to comply with the relevant conditions applying to the grant funding.

Members subsequently discussed the proposed delegation and noted that this related specifically to funding intended to aid local recovery following the pandemic, not to all areas of local government finance.  There were tight timescales in which the Council could act and the delegation would ensure that Officers could secure and use available funding in a timely manner to benefit the local community.

RECOMMENDED that

authority be delegated to the Executive Director of Resources to accept, administer and distribute any Government Funding, or Funding from bodies acting on behalf of Government, relating to or in response to the Covid 19 emergency and to make the necessary and corresponding adjustments to the MTFP following consultation with the Leader and subject to meeting the conditions of grant funding.