Agenda item

            The Committee considered the undernoted report

“1     Background Information

1.1    The Belfast Statutory Transition Committee 9 April 2014 agreed the approach to BCC Community Development Grant Programme 2015/2017 and gave permission to progress to a competitive open call.

1.2    Community Services are currently working with the Central Grants Unit to prepare for this open call across the new council area. The programme was launched at a high profile event at City Hall on 3 June 2014 with a formal information and awareness session. This is now being followed by a number of more localised information and awareness sessions, the provision of a ‘hot desk’ staffed by Community Services and a number of advice clinics. The open call for large grants is taking place June / July and that for small grants is scheduled for November.

1.3    Development Committee 20 August 2013 agreed a fund of £50,000 to assist in building the capacity of organisations to make the transition to the new grant programme. In addition funding was secured from Department of Social Development (DSD) under the Community Support Plan (CSP) to design and commission a training support programme for the sector as an opportunity to build capacity to deal with those challenges resulting from Local Government Reform and the open call for grants for 2015/17. This programme was delivered across the city during spring 2014.

1.4    The Committee 18 February 2014 agreed to accept a further report outlining options for the £50,000 additional programme of development support.

2       Key Issues

2.1    Community Development small grants are traditionally accessed by the significant number of small lower capacity community groups that operate across the city. Whilst the small grant programme for 2015/17 will not differ in any substantive way from the previous programme it is anticipated that there will be a number of challenges, particularly for lower capacity groups, in regard to processes and systems. The detail of the application process will be known in September.

2.2    Prior to the November open call for small grants the Central Grants Unit will be delivering information and awareness sessions across the new council area. This will cover both generic and grant specific information in relation to all council small grants opening at that time.

2.3    In addition to this approach it is proposed the £50,000 additional programme of development support be used to deliver a specific package to build the capacity of small organisations in accessing the community development small grants programme. To maximise the potential of this programme it is proposed it is delivered by those locally based community support organisations contracted by council under the current capacity building grant.

2.4    Currently 18 organisations are contracted by council under this grant the purpose of which is to support community groups to build their skills, knowledge, people, structures and systems at a neighbourhood level. It is proposed that the £50,000 would be allocated as uplift on current contract to those contracted groups interested in delivering the additional programme. This programme would be additional to that currently contracted as the grant programme is new and the timeframe for awareness raising and support is going to be tight in this  first year of implementation.

2.5    Uplift awards will be made upon submission of a satisfactory submission from organisations in line with programme objectives.

2.6    Eligible organisations will be able, if appropriate, to submit a programme to cover those areas from Castlereagh and Lisburn moving into the new council area.

3       Resource Implications

3.1    There are 18 areas within the current council boundary supported by the contracted support organisations. It is anticipated that the areas transferring to the new council area would bring an additional 4 areas to this figure i.e. 22 areas in total.  The total budget available would allow a maximum award of £2,275 per area. It is hoped that cover of all 22 areas will be delivered by the programme

4       Recommendations

         To agree to the proposal as recommended in regard to the additional programme of development support.”

            The Committee adopted the recommendation.