Issue - meetings

To consider a report by the Head of Environmental and Community Health Services on voluntary sector support for 2013/14.

Noted the contents of the report and approved an indicative voluntary sector budget of £273,000 for 2013/14; agreed to adopt a mix of methods for the allocation of financial support to the voluntary sector to include a level of bureaucracy proportionate to the level of funding required and agreed the establishment of a modest "community chest" to create an accessible source of funds to help local community projects.

Further to Minute No. 11/51, consideration was given to a report by the Head of Environmental and Community Health Services (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) seeking approval for an indicative budget for voluntary sector support for 2013/14 and outlining options for the delivery of the funds.  The report had been considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Panels (Social Well-Being) and (Economic Well-Being) whose comments were relayed to the Cabinet. 

By way of background, the Cabinet were reminded that Officers had met with representatives of the voluntary sector organisations and that an extensive review had been undertaken by a Working Group established by the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Social Well-Being).  Members were informed that various delivery methods for providing financial support to the voluntary sector had been considered as part of the review.  In that respect, Executive Councillors acknowledged that one solution may not fit all circumstances and different levels of assessment should be applied.  By moving from a commissioning approach for the allocation of funds to a mixed grant system with a community chest for local organisations who require a small injection of revenue up to £5,000, Members felt that this would introduce a level of bureaucracy proportionate to the level of funding required.

With regard to the management of the funds, Executive Councillors were advised that sound governance arrangements would be in place when determining applications for grants and the community chest.  A suggestion was made that the application form for the community chest should be straight-forward and the funding made available to apply for throughout the year.

In considering the level of the indicative budget, Members noted that if approved it represented almost a 28% reduction in the amount the voluntary sector would receive in the future, which was considerable less severe than that indicated in the existing 2013/14 budget.  The Deputy Executive Leader emphasised that the revised figure represented a considerable achievement and demonstrated that the Council had been responsive to the joint work with the voluntary sector which had taken place since the existing budget was set. However, Members acknowledged that the voluntary sector were having to respond to the changing economic climate and stressed that they would not wish to see the current standard of service decline.

Having acknowledged the work of the voluntary sector and in reiterating the Council’s commitment to supporting them, the Cabinet

RESOLVED

  (a)  that the contents of the report now submitted be noted;

  (b)  that an indicative voluntary sector budget of £273,000 for 2013/14 be approved;

  (c)  that a mix of methods for the allocation of financial support to the voluntary sector, to involve a level of bureaucracy proportionate to the level of funding required, be adopted; and

  (d)  that the establishment of a modest "community chest" be agreed to create an accessible source of funds to help very local community projects.

To consider a report by the Head of Environmental and Community Health Services on voluntary sector funding.

(Councillor T D Sanderson, Executive Councillor for Healthy and Active Communities, was in attendance for consideration of this item).

Consideration was given to a report by the Head of Environmental and Community Health Services (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) seeking an indicative budget for voluntary sector support for the 2013/14 financial year and outlining options for the distribution of the funds.

The Executive Councillor for Healthy and Active Communities drew attention to the main elements and recommendations within the report and, in particular, to the proposals to establish a mixed grant system as opposed to a commissioning approach for the allocation of future funds and to introduce a Community Chest for organisations who required small grants.

The Head of Environmental and Community Services explained that the District Council currently provided funding to six organisations: Huntingdonshire Citizens Advice Bureaux, Hunts Forum, Huntingdonshire Volunteer Centre, Shopmobility, St Barnabus Community Learning Centre and Disability Information Services Huntingdonshire. This was achieved through five-year Service Level Agreements which would expire in 2013. The report had been prepared to enable negotiations to commence with the voluntary organisations on future funding arrangements. The Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Social Well-Being) had discussed the report at a recent meeting and had endorsed the recommendations.

In considering the proposal to establish an indicative budget for 2013/14 of £273,000, Members questioned how this figure had been arrived at and where alternative savings would be made in the Council’s Budget. Having been informed that the figure was based on the requirements of current service providers, Members questioned whether the methodology used was valid, particularly as an important part of the rationale for the change was that the existing beneficiaries of funding were not certain to receive it in the future.

A greater reduction in funding for the voluntary sector had originally been proposed. However, the Executive Councillor for Healthy and Active Communities explained that research had indicated that any reduction of more than 20% would have significant implications for the Council in terms of the additional demand for services it would create. In response to a question on the impact on voluntary sector organisations of a reduction of this size, the Head of Environmental and Community Services explained that most of the current recipients of funding had offered coping strategies that would enable them to continue to operate with no reduction in the level of services they provided. Following comment that it would have been useful to see a comparison of the impact of varying levels of funding reduction on the voluntary sector, the Head of Environmental and Community Services undertook to circulate this information after the meeting.

With regard to the level of the indicative budget sought, Members questioned whether consideration had been given to requiring recipients of funding to obtain match funding. They also discussed the extent to which approval of the indicative budget would influence voluntary sector organisations’ attempts to secure alternative methods of funding and investigate opportunities for shared accommodation. Comment having  ...  view the full minutes text for item 73

To receive a report from the Head of Environmental and Community Health Services on voluntary sector support for 2013/14.

20 Minutes.   

(Councillor T D Sanderson, Executive Councillor for Healthy and Active Communities was in attendance for consideration of this item).

Pursuant to Minute No. 11/70, consideration was given to a report by the Head of Environmental and Community Health Services (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) seeking an indicative budget from the Cabinet for voluntary sector support for the 2013/14 financial year. The report also identified options for the distribution of future funding.

The Head of Environmental and Community Health Services outlined the background to the funding review conducted by Officers and the work of the Voluntary Sector Working Group. The level of indicative funding requested represented a 28% reduction on that already received by the voluntary sector. The figure of £273,000 included £27,000 from savings generated by the Executive Leader in May 2011 through a reduction in the number of Cabinet Members.

The Panel was reminded of the extensive work undertaken by the Voluntary Sector Working Group on the social value of the functions performed by voluntary sector organisations with Service Level Agreements with the Council. Members placed on record their gratitude for the Working Group’s efforts and their contributions to this work.

In response to questions by Councillor J J Dutton, the Head of Environmental and Community Health Services delivered assurances to the Panel that sound governance arrangements would be in place when determining applications for grants and the community chest. It was intended that the determination of applications would continue to be the responsibility of the Executive Councillors for Healthy and Active Communities and for Resources. All Members would have sight of the applications prior to the approval process. Whereupon, it was

RESOLVED

  that the Cabinet be recommended to

a)  suggest an indicative voluntary sector budget of £273,000 for the 2013/14 financial year;

b)  agree to the adoption of a mixed method of allocating funds with the method to involve a level of bureaucracy proportionate to the level of funding required; and

c)  agree to the establishment of a modest “Community Chest” to create an accessible source of funds to help local community projects.