Agenda item

This report will follow in a supplementary pack after it has been published for the meeting of Executive Committee (due for publication on Friday 22 August).

The Community Services Manager presented a report on the subject of the Voluntary Sector Grants Scheme 2026/27 to 2029/30. Members were informed that for the previous three-year period, the Council had provided £150,000 in support to the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS). This included a grant of £50,000 to the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) and £100,000 in major as well as small grants to a range of VCS organisations and local groups. During this time, decisions on funding had been made by Officers.

In the report, Officers were proposing to change the Council’s approach to funding VCS organisations, although it was important to note that funding provision would remain available. Under the report’s proposals, it was proposed that the Council should allocate £175,000 per year to support VCS groups. This would include £75,000 for a financial advice service and £100,000 for distribution of higher and lower value grants to VCS groups. The sum for higher and lower level grants would be further split with a pot of £90,000 allocated to provision of higher value grants (£2,000 to £10,000 in value) and £10,000 pot for smaller value grants (£500 to £2,000 in value).

It was further proposed that a Grants Panel, comprising a membership of elected Members, should be reintroduced to consider applications for higher value grants. Smaller value grants would continue to be determined by Officers.

Members were asked to note that there was funding, derived from scrap metal recovered through the cremation scheme operated by Bereavement Services, which was invested in VCS activities. This was entirely separate to the rest of the VCS funding programme and the level of this funding could not be predicted in advance as it varied year to year. Officers were proposing that authority should be delegated to the Assistant Director of Community and Housing Services, following consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Community Spaces and the Voluntary Sector, to distribute this funding.

Following the presentation, some Members expressed reservations about reintroducing an elected member Grants Panel and questioned the rationale of how this would improve the scheme. It was commented that for a number of years Officers had had delegated authority to consider VCS grant applications and this was felt by some Members to be a more transparent approach, ensuring efficiency of decision-making and removing possibility of political influence over the process. In response, it was explained that the Member-led Grants Panel would be cross-party and would ensure democratic accountability and public scrutiny of the decisions over allocations.

Consideration was also given to the advantage of a Member-led Grants Panel in that smaller charities, for example those that could not afford to employ professional bid writers, had a more equal chance in this format as Members could ask questions and clarify points on the application submitted with each applicant before the decision to award a grant is made. With an officer assessed grants format, this was more difficult. It was clarified that under the new grants policy there would still be a uniform scoring matrix as under officer delegations and that meetings of the Grants Panel would be overseen by the Grants Manager.

Given the point raised about the advantage of a Member-led grants panel, a Member questioned why there would only be a Panel for higher level grants, where it was more likely that applications would mostly be received from larger voluntary sector organisations that could afford to employ bid writers. A Member commented it would be more sensible instead to have an elected Member Grants Panel for lower grants where most organisations applying would be small and where explanations provided in Panel meetings could be of most relevance. It was replied that this was not deemed practical as this would require Panel to convene at numerous meetings due to the volume of applications.

It was reiterated that it was planned the elected member Grants Panel would comprise five Members and it would be a cross-party forum. It was anticipated that Members on the Panel would be required to attend two to three meetings to consider all applications received.

It was clarified that the VCS Grants Policy required and would require each applicant to disclose other sources of grant funding that they received, including from public bodies. The Council encouraged funding applications from existing and/or ongoing or started projects, rather than only proposed/planned projects. Officers highlighted that the VCS Grants Scheme had seen increased numbers of organisations applying and it was noted that the scheme had historically been over-subscribed. A Member questioned why the scheme needed changing given that demand was increasing and was already successful in attracting both small and large voluntary sector organisations.

The recommendations as stated in the report were endorsed by the Committee.

RECOMMENDED that

1)    The funding for the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Grants Scheme be agreed for a further three-year period with a total grant pot of £175k per annum;

2)    Subject to approval of recommendation 1 above, the VCS Grants Scheme be delivered in accordance with Option 2 which entails:

a)    Including up to £75k in the total grant funding to be available for a Financial Advice Grant

b)    A Grants Panel, comprising elected Members, to be established to consider and make recommendations to the Executive Committee in relation to higher grants (valued at £2k up to £10k)

c)    Delegated authority being granted to the Assistant Director of Community and Housing Services, following consultation with the Officer Grants panel, to consider and agree decisions on lower grants (valued at £500 up to £2k);

3)  Subject to agreement of proposal 2 above, five Members be appointed to serve on the Grants Panel, with appointments to be made in accordance with nominations received from the political group leaders;

4)  the Voluntary and Community Sector Grants Policy be approved;

5)  Subject to approval of proposal 2b above, agreement of the proposed terms of reference for the Grants Panel be approved;

6)  Distributions are passported to bereavement charities following an application process and are funded by receipts from the Recycling of Metal Recovered from Cremation Scheme; these are managed separately from the Voluntary and Community Grants Scheme; and

7)  Authority be delegated to the Assistant Director of Community and Housing Services, following consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Community Spaces and the Voluntary Sector, to passport the distribution of receipts from the Recycling of Metal Recovered from Cremation Scheme.