Decision details

Date of Decision:

25^th March 2021.

Decision Maker:

(Including Job Title)

 Jo Brown, ACX.

Specific Delegation: 

(If any)

None.

Brief Description of Decision:

To approve the use of unspent COVID Winter Grant of £9,962 of the £30,000 allocation for food support via VAR for Christmas to be used over the Easter holiday period for the same purposes.

Reasons       for       the

Decision:

The original grant allocation only covered Christmas. The decision will enable a change to the SLA Schedule supplement with VAR to facilitate use over Easter for the reasons set out:

•   £30,000 was allocated by Cabinet to VAR to support circa 300 families being provided by VCS organisations over Christmas. The grant would be used to purchase, parcel up and distribute food alongside provision supported through charitable donations.

•   The out-turn for the Christmas food support shows 302 families provided for, including 1023 people of which 567 were children. However, even though the anticipated outcomes were achieved, £9,962 of the funding remains unspent.

•   VAR now propose to extend the provision that was made over Christmas to the Easter school holiday period. This would involve working across the same range of VCS organisations, delivering food support targeted to vulnerable families with children. This proposal is compliant with the DWP grant conditions and objectives of the Cabinet decision.

•   The use of the grant over the Easter school holidays will ensure that it is fully spent, and additional community benefit realised.

Details of alternative options considered and rejected:

Any alternative would require finding another use for the funding or the risk of the grant remaining unspent and having to be returned to DWP.

Conflicts of interest declared by any Executive Member

None.

consulted by the decision maker which relates to the decision:

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

None

Reports or parts of reports considered

Briefing paper with recommendation.