Agenda item

The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1      Relevant Background Information

1.1      ESF projects are funded through Department of Employment and Learning (DEL). Match funding must be secured on an annual basis. At the 19 March 2013 meeting of Development Committee, it was agreed that match funding for year 3 of the three projects, as well as the Council-led HARTE project, would be set aside from the 2013/2014 EDU budget.  In total, a budget of £73,485 was set aside from Council resources to match fund the four projects. 

1.2      Although the original letters of offer from DEL were issued on the basis of a three year programme, DEL recently wrote to all project promoters to confirm that they can offer funding to the approved projects for an additional year (2014-2015) should the project promoters wish to take this offer up.  Equally, they have confirmed that they are in a position to offer an uplift of 25% in the funding available to interested projects.  In both instances, these offers are based on the project being able to draw in the appropriate levels of match funding.

2         Key Issues

2.1      The offer of 25% uplift has led to some projects having difficulty in being able to get agreement from their match funder to provide the additional funding to allow them to draw down the extra money from DEL.  Many Belfast-based ESF projects are match-funded by the Belfast Regeneration Office (BRO).  The office has confirmed that, while it is in a position to commit the match-funding at the previous levels of expenditure in the original letters of offer, it is not in a position to provide the match-funding for the increased amount.

2.2      From discussions with BRO, they have received requests from nine projects based in the Belfast City Council area to provide the additional match-funding amount while they are aware of at least three other projects that have declined the offer of the additional funding from DEL as they accepted that they would not be in a position to find the additional match-funding.

2.3      The Council has now received requests from three of those projects to provide the match-funding to allow them to draw down the additional funding from DEL in the current year.  These projects have indicated to DEL that they would be keen to draw down the increased amount but that they are still actively seeking the match funding.  All projects should, by now, have confirmed with DEL whether or not they wish to avail of the funding.  All funding from DEL is subject to the agreed match funding being in place. 

2.4      The following projects are seeking support from the Council:

2.5      Lenadoon Community Forum: Neighbourhood

           Training for Employment Project

           This project aims to help local people gain accredited qualifications with a view to increasing their employment opportunities. 

2.6      The original plan for year 3 of the programme was to provide support to 340 local residents.  The additional support would allow the project promoters to increase this to 450 participants.  The types of courses to be undertaken will include:

-       Essential skills combined with ICT

-       Sage payroll/accounts levels 1 and 2

-       ECDL essentials and extra

-       Manual book-keeping levels 1 and 2

-       Bridge to essential skills in ICT.

2.7      Supporting the extra 110 residents would require additional match-funding of £12,010.

2.8      Ashton Community Trust – Progress to Employment

           This programme provides participants with access to accredited training and resources that will improve their skills and improve their chances of a more sustainable future in employment. It focuses on training to match participants’ skills with employer’s requirements. A mentor will further support the client through one-to-one support.

2.9      In 2012-2013, 546 participants availed of job search support; 287 undertook accredited training and 158 entered into employment.  The targets for 2013-2014 will be 25% higher than these figures (i.e. 682 availing of job search support; 358 into accredited training and 197 into employment). The additional numbers will be predominantly made up by targeting NEETs.

2.10    The amount of funding offered by DEL to Progress to Employment in the current financial year (including the uplift) is £365,725.  At present, DSD have committed to providing match funding of £94,360.  This leaves a shortfall of £33,642.65 to allow the full amount to be drawn down. 

2.11    Ashton Community Trust – Women’s Training Project

           This project focuses on improving the employability of those women experiencing significant employment gaps, lone parents, those returning to the labour market and women with little or no qualifications.  The project aims to offer women training which will increase basic and intermediate skills and a mentor will to support the client through one-to-one support.    

2.12    In 2012/2013, 125 participants received accredited training and 48 went into employment.  The targets for 2013-2014 are 156 participants to receive accredited training and 60 into employment. 

2.13    The amount of funding offered by DEL to Women’s Training Project in the current financial year (including the uplift) is £150,643.  At present, DSD have committed to providing match funding of £38,868.98.  This leaves a shortfall of £13,856.02 to allow the full amount to be drawn down. 

2.14    In all three cases, the projects can proceed in line with their original letter of offer i.e. the amount agreed in year 1 with DEL and for which DSD had agreed to provide the 35% match.  However if they are to access the additional support offered, they will need to identify an additional match funding amount to make up the requirement for 35% public match funding. 

3         Resource Implications

3.1      Members should be aware that, given that the Council has not been asked to support these projects to date, no provision has been set aside within current EDU budgets to meet the match funding requested.  The total match funding requests for the current financial year are £59,508.67.

4         Recommendation

4.1      The Committee is requested to consider the match funding requests as set out above.”

The Director outlined the principal aspects of the report and indicated that, subsequent to the issuing of the Committee papers, the Chief Executive had on 17th May received a letter on behalf of the Belfast Area Partnerships seeking Council support in the region of £380,000 for the establishment of a Graduate Internship Programme, which would seek to provide work experience opportunities for up to 66 graduates with the local voluntary and community sectors.

During discussion, a number of Members made the point that no budget had been established to meet the requests for assistance as outlined within the report and the Council had, yet again, been placed in an invidious position. It was suggested that there was a perception within certain bodies and agencies that the Council, as a last resort, would accede to requests for assistance when all other funding streams had been exhausted.

Accordingly, it was

Moved by Alderman Stoker,

Seconded by Alderman Ekin,

      That the Committee agrees not to provide financial support to the projects as outlined.

On a vote by show of hands, nine Members voted for the proposal and seven against and it was declared carried.