Agenda item

Report from the Strategic Director of Finance and Customer Services.

Recommendations:

That Cabinet agree that:

1.    A funding allocation of £170k is provided from the Covid Recovery Fund, via a grant agreement, to support RothACS for the remainder of the 2023-2024 financial year and the full 2024-2025 financial year.       

2.    A funding allocation of up to £120k is provided from the Covid Recovery Fund to support the Council’s £350 flood support payments along with a £20k contribution to the South Yorkshire Community Foundation (SYCF) Appeal.

Consideration was given to the report which set out proposals for further use of the Council’s Covid Recovery Fund reserve. Taking into account approved use for 2023/24 to support the Council’s revenue investments, the reserve had a remaining balance of £0.8m. Proposed uses for the balance where to provide support with a local charity and to fund the provision of financial support to assist residents impacted by Storm Babet.

The first proposal was for an allocation of monies from the Covid Recovery Fund to support the local charity, Rotherham Abuse and Counselling Services (RothACS) following an unsuccessful bid for continued funding from the Ministry of Justice. The funding application sought to secure continued funding for the remainder of the 2023/24 financial year and the 2024/25 financial year, with a total value of £210k. Following the unsuccessful bid, RothACS had been able to secure funding for the current financial year of around £40k, leaving an in-year shortfall of £40k and circa £130k for the 2024/25 financial year. The RothACS service provided free specialist counselling to anyone over the age of 13 who had experienced trauma and abuse, including domestic abuse, sexual abuse, child sexual exploitation or child sexual abuse. The loss of funding to the service would result in a direct impact for service users, with a loss of 36 counselling sessions per week.

Following the flooding event within the borough on 21 October 2023 (Storm Babet) and its significant impact on a number of households, the Council was providing some immediate financial support to those residents most impacted. This was in the form of a £350 flood support payment for properties flooded or where the property was unliveable for a period of time as a result of this flood incident. In addition, the Council would also be making a £20k contribution to the South Yorkshire Community Foundation Appeal that had been set up to provide support to residents across the region that had been impacted by Storm Babet.

Resolved:-

That Cabinet agree that:

1.    A funding allocation of £170k is provided from the Covid Recovery Fund, via a grant agreement, to support RothACS for the remainder of the 2023-2024 financial year and the full 2024-2025 financial year.

2.    A funding allocation of up to £120k is provided from the Covid Recovery Fund to support the Council’s £350 flood support payments along with a £20k contribution to the South Yorkshire Community Foundation (SYCF) Appeal.