Reasons for urgency

The Chairman is of the opinion that this item is urgent due to the need to provide financial certainty to the organisations concerned, and the impending commencement of the financial year in which the awards are to be made.

Background

The report for this item was published as part of the agenda for the Community Services Committee on 16 March 2023.

Recommendations

The Community Services Committee’s approval was sought to make four core grant aid awards and introduce conditions to monitor how funding was spent by those voluntary organisations.  The overall spend was included in the Medium Term Financial Strategy approved by full Council in January 2023.

Officers advised that the Council wished to continue supporting four core organisations whose work supported key themes in the Corporate Plan, particularly health and wellbeing, providing significant social value to the community.

Officers had engaged with each organisation and gained an understanding of their work and the benefits for residents they worked with.  Findings had been considered by the Health and Wellbeing Member Working Party as the first stage of an overall review of Voluntary Sector funding and an attempt to streamline processes and introduce more consistency and transparency.

Members agreed that the conditions attached to each grant were reasonable and proportionate and would also keep the Committee informed.  Each organisation would be required to submit an application for funding and make a report either annually and/or on a quarterly basis to account for the grant and its impact on their work.  With the exception of Addlestone Community Association, one or more Councillors would continue to be appointed as representatives on each organisation.

The awards were as set out below and would be made annually for a period of three years:

1.     Citizens Advice Runnymede and Spelthorne: £103,700 + 10%

2.     Voluntary Support North Surrey: £33,000 + 10%

3.     Runnymede Access Liaison Group: £1,500 + 10%

4.     Addlestone Community Association: £2,900 + 10%

It was agreed that should Council finances become unavailable, or if the grant investment was found not to deliver the intended outcomes, funding could cease subject to each organisation being given six months’ notice.

Members noted the legal and equalities implications in the report.  Legal agreements would be drawn up with each organisation to ensure the monitoring conditions were met.

The Committee was pleased to recommend the grants be approved by Corporate Management Committee. 

Members recommend Corporate Management Committee to approve:

a)    the proposal to award an annual core grant to the sum of £103,700 + 10% for a period of three years (subject to approval at full Council) to Citizens Advice Runnymede and Spelthorne on receipt of completed application documentation, with the monitoring conditions outlined in section 2 of this report;

b)    the proposal to award a core grant to the sum of £33,000 + 10% for a period of three years (subject to approval at full Council) to Voluntary Support North Surrey, on receipt of completed application documentation, with the monitoring conditions outlined in section 2 of this report;

c)    the proposal to award a core grant to the sum of £1,500 + 10% to Runnymede Access Liaison Group, for a period of three years, on receipt of completed application documentation, with the monitoring conditions outlined in section 2 of this report; and

d)    the proposal to award the core grant sum of £2,900 + 10% to the Addlestone Community Association for a period of three years, on receipt of completed application documentation, with the monitoring conditions outlined in section 2 of this report.

[It was subsequently confirmed that approval by full Council was not required for these proposals and that the funding figure for Voluntary Support North Surrey was £33,000 not £33,700.]

The Chairman was of the opinion that this item was urgent due to the need to provide financial certainty to the organisations concerned, and the impending commencement of the financial year in which the awards were to be made.

The discussions of the Community Services Committee were noted.  The decision was within the purview of the Corporate Management Committee, and therefore a referral to the Council was not necessary.

It was resolved that the following core grants be awarded:

1)    £103,700 + 10% for a period of three years to Citizens Advice Runnymede and Spelthorne, on receipt of completed application documentation, with the monitoring conditions outlined in the officer’s report.

2)    £33,000 + 10% for a period of three years to Voluntary Support North Surrey, on receipt of completed application documentation, with the monitoring conditions outlined in the officer’s report.

3)    £1,500 + 10% to Runnymede Access Liaison Group, for a period of three years, on receipt of completed application documentation, with the monitoring conditions outlined in the officer’s report.

4)    £2,900 + 10% to the Addlestone Community Association for a period of three years, on receipt of completed application documentation, with the monitoring conditions outlined in the officer’s report.