Agenda item

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 13th February, it had considered a progress report in relation to the Community Development Grand Aid Programme for 2015/16.

            The Committee had agreed the proposed area allocation model for Advice Grants, but had requested officers to revisit the proposed quality threshold and band qualifiers presented for the Capacity and Revenue grant categories.  Any amendments should allow the Council to fund a larger number of organisations, and thus more local community based services, while continuing to offer a significant individual grant contribution.  Furthermore, by reviewing and reducing the threshold and band qualifiers, additional funds would ensure groups with lower capacity, or those who were first time applicants to the Council would not be disadvantaged when compared to groups which had a higher capacity or a longer-term working relationship with the Council.

            The Community Development Manager reported that officers be now proposing that the quality threshold score for both grant categories were reduced to 50%.  They would further suggest that the Committee agree a fourth funding band which would give a smaller grant offer to those eligible applicants who had not achieved the proposed quality threshold score.  That would reflect the Committee discussion to support organisations during this transitional period to allow them to address any identified weaknesses in their applications in relations to both organisational governance and programme content.  It that was acceptable, any agreed funding would be conditional on the applicant group agreeing to accept funding capacity development support from Community Services staff.  The new recommended bands were as follows:

“i   Capacity Grant

Reduce the quality threshold score to 50% and apply individual grants across the following 4 funding bands:

Note:

Band A - > 70% offer max grant of £42,200

Band B - > 60%<70% offer max grant of £28,150

Band C - > 50%<60% offer max grant of £23,500

Band D - < 50% offer max grant of £15,000

NB This financial value of this band would be reviewed pending confirmation of the total additional budget available

If agreed this would allow council to offer financial support to 20 organisations to a

value of £618,524.22.  The total additional budget made available from non recurrent finance will inform the value of the individual grant allocation to the remaining 9 groups in the new Band D category but it is proposed these would not exceed £15,000.

ii.   Community Buildings Revenue Grant

Apply a quality threshold score of 50% but fund all eligible applications which fail to attain this score through the introduction of a fourth category which is capped no matter what the size of the building or the programme. 

Note:

CALCULATION OF AWARD based on size of building & community programme.

30-50 points at F= Grade One

51-90 points at F= Grade Two

91 points or more at F= Grade Three

Grade 1 facilities - receive up to £6,500

Grade 2 facilities - receive up to £13,000

Grade 3 facilities - receive up to £18,000

Grade 4 facilities - receive up to £5,000

NB This financial value of this band would be reviewed pending confirmation of the total additional budget available

If agreed this would allow council to offer financial support to 62 organisations to a total value of £797,713.46.  As with the Capacity Grant above, the total additional budget made available from non recurrent finance will inform the value of the individual grant allocation to groups in the new Grade 4, ie those groups who have not achieved the 50% threshold score.  If agreeable a further 20 organisations would attract funding of no more than £5,000 per organisation depending upon affordability.”

            Accordingly, it was recommended that the Committee:

(ii)    note the contents of the report and agree the proposed approach to Capacity and Community Buildings (Revenue) grant in 2015/16;

(iii)  agree the recommendations in relations for Capacity grant for 2015/16; and

(iiii)agree the recommendations for Community Buildings (Revenue) grant 2015/16

            The Committee adopted the recommendations.