Agenda item
Minutes:
The Committee considered the following report:
“1.0 Purpose of Report or Summary of Main Issues
1.1 The purpose of this report is to outline the proposed delivery model for the 2022 Summer Community Diversionary Festival Programme and seek approval from the Committee to proceed with the update scheme.
2.0 Recommendations
2.1 The Committee is asked to agree to the 2022 Summer Community Diversionary Festival Programme delivery model as outlined within the report.
3.0 Main Report
Background
3.1 The Strategic Policy and Resources Committee agreed, in December 2018, to allocate £500k to a summer diversionary and festival programme, this was in context of the Revenue Estimates and District Rate report agreed as part of the rate setting process. The recommendation was approved at the January Council meeting. This programme was delivered in 2019, but due to Covid restrictions, was postponed in 2020.
3.2 At the Council meeting on 1st July 2021, Members agreed to develop an interim scheme for 2021 due to the tight turnaround as a result of the pandemic. This allowed groups who were funded in 2019 to access funding to deliver community diversionary festival activity outside of the normal summer dates. This programme was not an open call and funding was awarded to groups who received funding in 2019 up to a maximum of their 2019 funding allocation.
3.3 At the Committee meeting in September 2021, Members asked officers to review the existing process, with a view to setting a benchmark to ensure that groups who apply for the scheme in 2022 have the capacity to deliver events in line with the relevant guidelines that the Council has in place for organising events on its land.
3.4 To allow for the timely administration of this funding programme, officers have undertaken areview and are seeking approval from the SP and R Committee on the recommended 2022 approach outlined in this report.
Key Issues
3.5 When the Summer Community Diversionary programme was developed in 2018, it was based on the following agreements from the Committee:
· the total programme budget was £500,000, with £250,000 allocated to the July programme and £250,000 allocated to the August programme;
· no financial limit was placed on geographical areas for July and August programmes;
· £25,000 (min) and £100,000 (max) funding was available for successful applicants;
· eligible community diversionary festival activity was defined as follows; ‘Community diversionary festival activity is about the celebration and the promotion of positive cultural expression specifically in the lead up to and over the periods of the 11th July night and the 8th August. It should be developed from within the community. Festival activity should therefore be initiated and led by a community organisation or a community-led partnership. It is not enough to run festival activity for a community – the community must own it and play a strong part in developing and delivering it. All festival activity should also support the diversion of young people who are at risk of becoming involved in anti-social behaviour over the two specified periods.’
Programme 2022
3.7 Feedback on the delivery of the scheme has included the need to ensure that applications are of a quality standard and that there is equitable access for groups to apply across all geographic areas of the City.
3.8 On an operational basis, to improve the scheme, officers have also identified an opportunity to introduce more robust outcomes to the programme and ensure that organisations report back on the impact of their projects in a more meaningful way. There is also a need to assess the ability of applicants to deliver safe, well managed large-scale events/programmes. The recommended changes also seek to complement relevant council programmes and strategies such as our cultural and good relations strategies.
3.9 As part of this report, we would like to remind members that Council offers support for community festivals and a range of diversionary activities through established funding programmes. Groups who apply for this scheme in 2022 may be signposted to these schemes in the event that their application is not suitable or does not meet the criteria or benchmark score for funding from this scheme. These include:
· Community Festivals fund – grants of up to £10,000 are available. In 2019/20 we invested in 18 grants to support not-for-profit festivals and events in Belfast. Applications for 21/22 closed on 15th October 2022. Community Festivals Fund operates with match funding from Department for Communities (DfC). DfC are currently unable to confirm this funding for 2022/23;
· Community provision Micro/Medium grants – grants of £1,500 and £5,000 available to support summer programmes, which can include cultural/diversionary programmes;
· In previous years, the Council delivered a Bonfire and Cultural Expression Programme through its District Council Good Relations Programme. This programme was not delivered in 2021 and instead groups were able to access a similar level of support through the Community Provision micro grants (above).
3.10 Based on the above, the Committee is asked to consider and approve the following changes:
Proposed Definition 2022
· The Summer Community diversionary festival programme provides support for the delivery of community based festivals and programmes. All funded activity will make a significant contribution to the reduction of anti-social behaviour linked to key dates over the summer period specifically the 11th July and the 8th August. All activity should promote positive cultural expression and contribute to achievement of the T;BUC[1] outcomes of increasing participants sense of community belonging and celebrating cultural diversity.
3.11 Eligibility Criteria 2022
· Applications must be received by constituted community/voluntary organisations based in the Belfast City Council area;
· The total programme budget is £500,000, with £250,000 allocated to the July programme and £250,000 allocated to the August programme
· No financial limit is placed on geographical areas for both July and August programmes;
· £25,000 (min) and £100,000 (max) funding is available for successful applicants;
· For events being delivered, applicants must confirm that they have technical support and expertise and approvals in place to ensure that all health and safety requirements are met. This will include confirmation that activity being delivered will have appropriate licences or approvals in place. As part of this, officers will provide guidance to applicants in advance of any submissions on what is required and advise groups that their capacity and technical expertise will be assessed at an initial Stage 1 to ensure they have the capability to run festival events. This will follow the same process that is undertaken for all events on Council land with groups expected to complete a 24-point event plan template which will be assessed by officers.
Two-stage Eligibility Assessment Process
3.12 A revised process is being recommended for 2022 based on learning from previous years. This new process seeks to mitigate the risk that Council are funding large scale events where the necessary knowledge, skills and capacity to organise and follow the detailed and sometimes complicated processes that are required to host events may not always be available. One of the main objectives of this scheme is to run festivals at times in and around July and August bonfires, where there is potential to have increased ASB and heightened tensions across the city. It is important that we encourage these types of events, rather than smaller scale workshops and youth intervention projects being the main source of activity.
3.13 It is, therefore, important for applicants being assessed to demonstrate that they have the necessary knowledge and experience to host large scale events and also have the capacity to deliver these events. If this isn’t in place, it results in significant last minute pressure on the groups who receive funding and organise events, but also on Council officers from across a range of functions who are required to fast track important requirements through committee structures such as approval to use our land and entertainment licence applications.
3.14 Amended Scoring Criteria
Stage 1 – Capacity to deliver
1. Capacity to run Festival/similar type events. This will include submission of an event plan template that outlines initial details of how you will organise your event and will follow a similar process undertaken for all events taking place on Council land.
TOTAL Marks Available – 100 (Scoring threshold 60%)
Only those applicants who achieve the minimum benchmark of 60 at Stage 1 will progress to Stage 2 for assessment. Those applicants who do progress to Stage 2 will retain their score from Stage 1 to be part of their final score.
Stage 2 – Contribution to objectives of the scheme (100 marks available, benchmark 50 marks)
1. The extent to which the application has clearly identified need and provided detail of participants, partners and content that will meet this need (25 marks);
2. The extent to which the project activity will reduce anti-social behaviour linked to key dates over the summer period (including consideration of timings, location/s, partnership working and identification/inclusion of at risk young people (25 marks);
3. The extent to which the project will promote positive cultural expression by increasing participants sense of community belonging and celebrating cultural diversity. This should include examples of potential negative behaviour that the project will address (25 marks);
4. The extent to which the project is well planned and requested amounts represent value for money (25 marks)
Total Marks Available – 100 (Scoring threshold 50%)
Please note that the slightly higher benchmark score of 60 applicable at stage 1 is due to the importance of ensuring applicants have the necessary knowledge and capacity to manage what are important legal, health and safety and compliance requirements.
3.15 Funding Allocation
It is recommended that funding will be allocated on the same basis as previous years with £250,000 for July and £250,000 for August. Final recommendations to Members will combine Stage 1/Stage 2.
3.16 2022 timetable (Draft)
· The programme will open on 21st February 2022 and close on 25th March 2022;
· The programme will be advertised as an open call and information will be available on the Council’s website, information sessions will also be held;
· Officers will complete the assessment process and bring final recommendations to Members for consideration as early as possible April 2022;
· Project delivery must take place by 31 August;
· Groups with outstanding documentation from previous funding will not receive payment until all documentation in relation to this fund has been received/signed off.
Financial and Resource Implications
3.17 Resources have been included as part of the revenue estimates process.
Equality or Good Relations Implications/
Rural Needs Assessment
3.18 Equality, Good Relations implications and rural needs assessment will be considered before the scheme is advertised.”
After discussion, it was
Moved by the Chairperson (Councillor Groogan),
Seconded by The High Sheriff (Councillor Long),
That the Committee agrees that applications from groups seeking solely to run workshops and youth intervention projects as the main source of activity also be considered for funding.
On a vote, six Members voted for the proposal and twelve against and it was declared lost.
The Committee subsequently approved the Summer Community Diversionary Festival Programme delivery model for 2022, as set out within the report.
Supporting documents:
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