Issue - meetings

REPORT OF THE POLIICY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER

This report outlines the proposed review of the Community Grants policy and criteria. It outlines a timetable regarding further consultation, with Councillors sitting on each of the five Area Committees; Overview and Scrutiny, Cabinet and Full Council with the view that any changes and updates will be in place for the new policy to commence at the start of the forthcoming financial year 2020/21.

RESOLVED: That the proposed review of the Community Grants Policy and criteria be noted.

RECOMMENDED TO CABINET: That the criteria and outline consultation process be approved.

REASON FOR DECISION: The awarding of grant funding awards to organisations, charities and voluntary groups, and the use of grant budgets devolved to Area Committees allows the Authority to further its aims and overarching Priorities of the Council and District.

Audio Recording – 38 Minutes 59 Seconds

The Policy and Community Engagement Manager presented the report entitled Community Grants Policy Review and advised the following:

•           The report outlined the proposed changes to the grants policy;

•           The process had been simplified;

•           The policy was last reviewed in 2016;

•           Changes to the eligibility criteria were on page 90 of the report at paragraph 8.2.1;

•           Organisations with charitable status, voluntary sector groups, community groups, Community Interest Companies, Community Interest Organisations, Schools, Academies, Business Improvement District Groups, Parish and Town Councils were now able to apply for grants;

•           The 2016 Policy stated that applicants were ineligible for funding if they had other funding from NHDC within 2 years. This would no longer apply under the new policy;

•           These changes would encourage a variety of organisations to apply;

•           The new criteria was similar to that of other local authorities and;

•           Cabinet had approved two proposals relating to community grants which included the creation of a one-off District-wide pot of £10,000 in 2020/21.

The following Members asked questions:

•           Councillor Tony Hunter;

•           Councillor Carol Stanier;

•           Councillor Ruth Brown; and

•           Councillor Gerald Morris.

The Policy and Community Engagement Manager provided the following responses to questions raised by Members:

•           The District-wide pot of £10,000 would be administered by the Community Engagement Team, in the same way as the Capital Grants Fund is;

•           Officers would promote the grant scheme to encourage applications from organisations who had not applied in the past; and

•           Funding a statutory service such as waste collection at an event would need to be further looked at.

Councillor Ruth Brown, as Deputy Executive Member for Community Engagement, provided the following responses to points and questions raised by Members:

•           Waste Collection at charity events should be eligible for funding;

•           It was the intention to widen the scope and increase the number of applications;

•           As a result of the policy change, the Committee may receive more applications than money to grant. In which case, the Committee would have to make decisions around who to grant money to; and

•           If the same organisation repeatedly applied for funding, that would influence the decision as to whether to grant funding or not.

RESOLVED: That the proposed review of the Community Grants Policy and criteria be noted.

RECOMMENDED TO CABINET: That the criteria and outline consultation process be approved.

REASON FOR DECISION: The awarding of grant funding awards to organisations, charities and voluntary groups, and the use of grant budgets devolved to Area Committees allows the Authority to further its aims and overarching Priorities of the Council and District.