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The Committee received and considered the report from the Community Development Manager.
The Community Development Manager reported that in 2019-20, the Council had provided annual funding of £99,500 for voluntary,community & social enterprise grants (£54k of this fund was allocated through the GYBC General Fund with the remaining £45.5k allocated from the Housing Revenue Account). In 2019-20, the Council awarded a one year grant which started in April 2019 and will cease at the end of March 2020. The Council now needed to agree the process for commissioning the grants from April 2020 and the Community Development Manager outlined two possible options to the Committee to achieve this aim.
The Community Development Manager reported that there was a risk in consideration of the current time frame available for Option 2, if a commissioning process commenced in January 2020, this would impact on potential continuity of staff and delivery currently funded through these grants. This could mean a disruption in service delivery and undermining the continuity of support to local residents.
Councillor Wainwright reported that Option 1 should be chosen on the proviso that a new commissioning process (i.e. Option 2) was put in place starting in June 2020 as the Council had left this too late in the day once again and this was unacceptable.
Councillor Waters-Bunn reported that she was infuriated by this report as last year, at Full Council, Councillors had been assured that a new commissioning process would be undertaken during 2019. The application process in 2019 had been flawed as the portal had only operated for 8 days out of the 10 day application window and several smaller charities had missed out on the opportunity of applying for this grant funding.
Councillor Hacon reported that she had found the whole commissioning process to be wrong and was also unhappy with the interim six monthly monitoring process. Councillor Hacon requested that the Council reconsider the re-introduction of the Councillor Ward Budget scheme which enabled Councillor's to help smaller charities in their wards.
Councillor Wainwright proposed that Option 1 be implemented on the proviso that Option 2 be undertaken starting June 2020. This motion was seconded by Councillor Smith-Clare but was lost at the vote.
The Chairman proposed that Option 2 be implemented but that a paper application process be implemented and/or assistance offered in completing the application form on the portal. This motion was seconded by Councillor Candon.
The Housing Director reported that a special Committee could be held in March 2020 to ratify the outcome of the commissioning process and that all current grant recipients would be notified before Christmas of the Committee's decision.
RESOLVED:-
That the Committee agree that Option 2 be implemented for delivering community and voluntary sector grants in 2020-21 with the amendment approved at the meeting and that the Committee forward the names of four Committee Members to the Community Development Manager to sit on the Grants Panel.