Issue - meetings

Meeting: 07/12/2021 - Prosperous Communities Committee (Item 55)

55 Voluntary and Community Sector Grants 2022/23 pdf icon PDF 214 KB

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Minutes:

The Committee gave consideration to the last public report of the evening, regarding Voluntary and Community Sector Grants for 2022/2023. It was explained that the Council provided a range of Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Grants to support the delivery of projects and services for the benefit of our communities and residents. The delivery of these services helped contribute towards the Council’s Corporate Plan priorities. The current VCS Grants were approved by Prosperous Communities Committee in October 2018 and were due to end on 31 March 2022. The report under consideration sought a one year extension to VCS grants.

 

It was highlighted that an additional recommendation approved at the October

Committee was to undertake a more detailed Community & Voluntary Sector Funding review, which would have taken place during the final year of the three year grant period but had not been able to proceed. Owing to re-deployment and priority tasking of Community Officers during the global pandemic. The organisations being funded were also operating in response mode helping to support pandemic response and recovery work.

 

Therefore, the report under consideration, sought to commence a broader review of VCS grants to be completed and presented back to Committee by the end of 2022. Conducting the review during 2022 would enable Officers to take into consideration new strategies that had recently been adopted (i.e. Carbon Reduction) and ones currently in development (i.e. Health & Wellbeing Strategy). This proposed approach was in-line with other Local Authorities that also provided this type of VCS grant funding.

 

Members were supportive of both the VCS grant funding and the broader review to ensure it remained fit for purpose. It was explained that there would be significant consultation with Councillors and local communities however it was important to be realistic in the expectations of what could be achieved with lower funding available. It was acknowledged that there would need to be a measured approach and thanked Officers for their time and efforts over the pandemic and as recovery began.

 

Having been moved and seconded it was unanimously

 

            RESOLVED that:

 

a)    the Voluntary and Community Sector Grants for 2022/23 be approved; and

 

b)      a broader review of all Voluntary and Community Sector Grants be approved, with findings and recommendations to be presented back to Committee before the end of 2022.