Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Leader

Forward Plan Ref: 2017/038

Contact: Sarah Jelley, Senior Policy Officer Tel: 07554 103437

Report by Assistant Chief Executive (CA6).

In February 2017 as part of the budget papers council agreed £250k 'one off' funding for a pilot communities fund.  This report outlines the proposed approach and options for a locally managed grant scheme and the draft grant guidance and criteria.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to approve the Grant Guidance, Grant Application and Locality Meeting Terms of Reference.

Recommendations agreed.

In February 2017 as part of the budget papers council agreed £250k 'one off' funding for a pilot communities fund.  Cabinet had before them a report outlining the proposed approach and options for a locally managed grant scheme and the draft grant guidance and criteria.

Councillor Nick Hards, local councillor for Didcot West, highlighted paragraphs6 and 7 of the report expressing concerns over the need for matched funding that could cause bids difficulty in terms of timing. He suggested that approvals could be subject to matched funding being gained throughout the year nto just at the time of the bid. It was important that Councillors be able to club together in an area to support a larger project. Finally he suggested that there was a potential disparity in fixing funding to a fixed proportion for each division rather than looking at the needs of areas.

Councillor Hudspeth replied that match funding was strongly encouraged but not a key criteria. Members were to be encouraged to pool resources as necessary.

Councillor Brighouse, Opposition Leader, highlighted a number of matters. Firstly, she would have liked it to be made very clear that the funding was being made available to mitigate some of the issues of austerity. She would have preferred to see greater targeting of disadvantaged groups. Councillor Brighouse supported the concerns expressed by Councillor Hards over match funding. It may have been better to focus on the funding as seed corn for projects to get them off the ground. She would have liked the allocation to have taken into account some element of the levels of disadvantage across the County. Councillor Brighouse highlighted what she saw as an anomaly that would allow fee paying schools in Oxfordshire to apply for funding as they all carried charitable status. She strongly believed that organisations with substantial reserves should not receive money from the fund. It was a small pot and we must ensure it goes to those people who need it. Finally Councillor Brighouse commented that she was against councillors being put into a position of having to engage in getting funds for local groups.

Councillor Hudspeth, in moving the recommendations noted that the fund allowed local councillors to make local decisions for their local areas.

Cabinet during discussion supported the recommendations noting that lessons would be learnt from the recent Transitions Fund process.

RESOLVED:             to approve the Grant Guidance, Grant Application and Locality Meeting Terms of Reference.