Agenda item

(Exempt under Paragraph 5 of the Act – information relates to financial assistance provided by the Council)

Consideration was given to a report of the Partnership Officer (Regeneration) and Regional and External Affairs Manager which detailed the provision of grant aid to voluntary and community groups through mainstream and CERB funding within the Chief Executive’s Department which had been reviewed.

There was a need to re-focus investment to enable an increase in the range of voluntary and community groups supported.  This would be done by commissioning with a smaller number of infrastructure organisations who would then provide a range of support to the voluntary and community sectors.  It was also proposed to create a new Fund (the Infrastructure and Corporate Initiatives Fund) through the merger of CERB and mainstream grant budgets within the Chief Executive’s Department.  This report dealt only with the community element of CERB; the economic element was dealt with through Economic and Development Services which was not affected.

The Head of Policy and Partnerships provided Members with the history around the funding and confirmed that the mainstream budget has been in place for a number of years. The mainstream budget currently stood at approximately £570k, and like the CERB fund, was subject to budget pressures.

The report, now submitted was considered in detail and at length by all Members present.

Members requested some form of evaluation or monitoring process to ensure that funds provided were used effectively with a link to all funding streams across the Council.

The Partnership Officer (Regeneration) provided background information and the new approval recommendations for the next three years for voluntary section organisations included in the following categories:-

·              Advice/Information/Counselling.

·              Community Safety.

·              Credit Unions.

·              Equalities.

·              Infrastructure.

·              Children and Young People.

·              Other.

·              Proposed New Development Projects.

Members received relevant facts and information and asked various questions about each organisation in order to satisfy the recommendations suggested in the report.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the contents of this report and the work undertaken in reviewing funding to projects be noted.

(2)  That the funding for the following development projects during the 2004/05 financial year be approved:-

(i)      Objective 1/SRB6 Community Cohesion Project - £3,000 (via adjustment of service level agreement with Voluntary Action Rotherham).

(ii)      Advice & Guidance Sectoral Strategy - £5,000 to Rotherham Advice and
 Information Network on behalf of the Community Legal Service Partnership.

(iii)     Support for a voluntary sector strategy - £5,000 (with an additional £15,000 in  2005/06 to make a total budget of £20,000 over two financial years)

(3)  That an additional £4,250 for the Community Safety Advice Centre to ensure that final quarter rent payments could be paid be approved.

(4)   That funding to identified projects as shown at Appendix B for 2005/06, 2006/07 and 2007/08 (to be read in conjunction with detailed background as provided at Appendix A) be approved.

(5)  That the negotiations with Voluntary Action Rotherham on future areas of work and funding levels, the results of which will be the subject of a separate report be supported.

(6)  That the proposal for work reviewing issues around BME communities to be reported at a future meeting be noted.

(7)  That a further report be presented on work of the Rotherham Credit Union Development Agency and the credit union sector in Rotherham.

(8)  That the following recommendations be made to Cabinet:-

·              Merging of the current mainstream grant budgets within the Chief Executive’s Department base budget, to be re-designated as a fund contribution for 2004/05 and future years, with payment of this contribution into a newly created Council reserve, to be called the ‘Infrastructure and Corporate Initiatives Fund’.

·              Transferring the balance on the community element of the CERB Fund at 31st March 2004 into this new reserve.

·              Permitting the operation of three year Service Level Agreements from the balance on this new reserve through to March 2008 by committing mainstream budget of £595,369 per year.

·              That option of having a single, co-ordinating point for Service Legal Agreements/contracts with the Voluntary and Community Sectors be considered in order to ensure consistency of approach and lack of duplication.

(Councillors Ali and Sangster declared personal interests in the above item, being on the Boards of some of the organisations receiving funding.)