Decision details

The Director of Resources submitted a report asking committee to approve the allocation of voluntary organisation grants for 2022/23 as recommended by the working group and consider the amendments to the grant scheme criteria as suggested.

The Director of Resources outlined the scheme to committee and the recommendations the member working group were making having considered the applications made and ways in which to improve the scheme.

This included

·         Making clear in the grant criteria that the scheme is available to support Voluntary Organisations only, and that this excludes parish and town councils unless they are acting as an accountable body for a voluntary organisation, and

·         That the grant criteria be updated to include a condition that no single organisation would be allocated more than one third of the total grant fund available for that financial year.

With this in mind, the working group had recommended that transitional grant aid be applied to the Citizens Advice Bureau grant for 2022/23, equating to 50% of the difference between next year’s grant and the value of the award given in 2021/22. The requirement for them to provide quarterly monitoring information would also be removed.

The Director of Resources also informed members that the working group recommended that they should meet again in September to review the 2022/23 grant allocations in light of the remaining budget available and the current economic pressures facing organisations such as high inflation and rising fuel costs.

Committee discussed the recommended grant allocations and expressed some concern about the cut to the grant for the Citizens Advice Bureau and the long term affect this might have on the essential service they provide. 

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.    Approve the allocation of grants as proposed by the voluntary organisation grants working group as set out in the report totalling £93,100.

2.    Approve the amendments to the grant scheme criteria as set out in the report, and

3.    Ask the working group when they meet again in September to reconsider the balance of monies for grant allocations that they look closely at the needs of the Citizens Advice Bureau.

Councillors Fletcher, Hindle and Hore returned to the meeting. Councillor Hore returned to the Chair.