Agenda item

Report from the Assistant Chief Executive.

Recommendations:

That Cabinet

1. Approve the indicative programme and provisional allocations of the Community Recovery Fund Grant of £600,000 as follows:
   1. £62,975 to cover the costs incurred by the Council in responding to the events on the 4 August.
   2. £15,000 towards the delivery of a restorative justice project.
   3. £10,000 to provide resources to support Manvers Community Recovery.
   4. £10,000 to provide a community cohesion workforce development programme.
   5. £180,000 to establish a community cohesion ‘Rotherham Together’ fund.
   6. £57,000 to appoint a strategic cohesion co-ordinator for the borough.
   7. £25,831 to put in place lived experience educators.
   8. £30,000 to provide a community events programme.
   9. £62,358 to provide activities for children and young people.
   10. £25,800 for Together for Tomorrow, providing educational initiatives to support schools.
   11. £30,000 to deliver a series of Challenge events aimed at uniting young people from diverse backgrounds through positive activities. 
   12. £45,000 to improve the safety of town centre events by investing in hostile vehicle mitigation.
   13. £20,000 to invest in improving street lighting through a pilot initiative.
   14. £10,000 to develop a system for recruiting, facilitating and mobilising volunteers to respond to crisis situations and contribute to public events.

2. To enter into supplementary provisions to the Infrastructure Support Services 2024 – 2027 Service Level Agreement (SLA) for the provision of the relevant elements set out in recommendation 1.

3. Delegate authority to the Assistant Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader of the Council, to determine revised and final allocations for the Community Recovery Fund Grant.

Consideration was given to the report which set out the proposed indicative programme and allocations for the Community Recovery Fund (CRF.) Rotherham had been allocated £600,000 from the Fund to support the communities impacted by the significant violence and vandalism that took place at the Holiday Inn Express at Manvers on 4 August 2024.

Eligible expenditure for the use of this fund included:

• Immediate action to safeguard life or property.
• To prevent suffering or severe inconvenience.
• To reduce the risk of further disorder in the future.
• To rebuild social trust and promote cohesion between communities.

Following the release of national guidance for the CRF, the priorities from the

Council’s initial action plan had been integrated into four key focus areas for

Rotherham’s funding allocation:

• Projects or initiatives that seek to restore civic pride in the Manvers area.
• Projects that support or promote intracommunity relations in priority
• areas.
• Educational initiatives and youth outreach with children, young people
• and schools.
• Community safety related projects and investments.
  
  

The table in Appendix 1 summarised the indicative programme and provisional allocations that would be undertaken under each of the four focus areas. The indicative programme would be delivered by a range of organisations including direct delivery by Rotherham Council services, direct delivery by the voluntary sector, and a grants budget which would allow for further solutions to be co-created and co-designed with community groups and prioritised as part of an overall coordinated approach. This could also include commissioning of projects through the grants budget to address any gaps or emerging issues. A voluntary sector managed grants budget would provide further flexibility within the government guidelines to deliver a programme of activities that could adapt to changing needs and to extend the delivery phase through to March 2026.

Resolved:

That Cabinet:

1.    Approve the indicative programme and provisional allocations of the Community Recovery Fund Grant of £600,000 as follows:

a.    £62,975 to cover the costs incurred by the Council in responding to the events on the 4 August.

b.    £15,000 towards the delivery of a restorative justice project.

c.     £10,000 to provide resources to support Manvers Community Recovery.

d.    £10,000 to provide a community cohesion workforce development programme.

e.    £180,000 to establish a community cohesion ‘Rotherham Together’ fund.

f.      £57,000 to appoint a strategic cohesion co-ordinator for the borough.

g.    £25,831 to put in place lived experience educators.

h.    £30,000 to provide a community events programme.

i.      £62,358 to provide activities for children and young people.

j.      £25,800 for Together for Tomorrow, providing educational initiatives to support schools.

k.     £30,000 to deliver a series of Challenge events aimed at uniting young people from diverse backgrounds through positive activities.

l.      £45,000 to improve the safety of town centre events by investing in hostile vehicle mitigation.

m.   £20,000 to invest in improving street lighting through a pilot initiative.

n.    £10,000 to develop a system for recruiting, facilitating and mobilising volunteers to respond to crisis situations and contribute to public events.

2.    Agree to enter into supplementary provisions to the Infrastructure Support Services 2024 – 2027 Service Level Agreement (SLA) for the provision of the relevant elements set out in recommendation 1.

3.    Delegate authority to the Assistant Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader of the Council, to determine revised and final allocations for the Community Recovery Fund Grant.