Agenda item

Consideration of Community Chest Funding 2017/2018

Report No: GWP/SE/16/003

Members are invited to read through the applications using the scoring matrix, matching them against the community chest criteria, prior to the meeting which may aid discussion

Minutes:

(Councillor Sarah Broughton declared a local non-pecuniary interest in Appendix 31: Application from 'Our Special Friends' as she was an acquaintance of the applicant. Councillor John Burns declared a local non-pecuniary interest in Appendix 41: Application from 'Haverhill Community Trust' , as a trustee of this organisation in his capacity as a Haverhill Town Councillor. In respect of Appendix 38: Application from 'Creative Arts East (Rural Touring Scheme)’, in the interests of openness and transparency, Councillor Jim Thorndyke wished it to be recorded that he was involved with the operation of Stanton Village Cinema; however, he considered the applicant was not connected to this initiative, as stated in the application. All three Members remained in the meeting for the consideration of these items.)

The Working Party considered Report No: GWP/SE/16/003, which sought approval for a number of applications submitted for Community Chest funding in the 2017/2018 financial year. The recommendations of the Grant Working Party would be considered by Cabinet on 8 December 2016 for approval.

Applications for Community Chest funding for 2017/2018 closed on 30 September 2016. A total of 39 applications were received from a wide variety of organisations as detailed in Appendix 1 attached to the report. Applicants could apply for a maximum of three years, and if applicable, this was also summarised in Appendix 1.

The Community Chest budget for 2017/2018 was £332,147, as follows:

Community Chest Budget :	£281,483
Public Health Funding:	£95,498
	£376,981
Funds already allocated	£44,834
Remaining Budget	£332,147

As indicated above, £44,834 had previously been allocated in 2016/2017 for 2017/2018, as part of two-year funding agreements, as follows:

(a) Gatehouse Caring in East Anglia

(home furnishings):

£5,000

(b) HomeStart

(borough wide):

£9,800

£5,000

(d) Relate Norfolk and Suffolk:

£5,000

(e) The Voluntary Network (Befriending Scheme):

£10,800

(f) The Voluntary Network (Community Cars):

£4,434

(g) Suffolk Rape Crisis

£4,800

These allocations were noted by the Working Party and no further discussion was held on these grants.

There were a number of potential synergies between the applications and as such they were grouped in the following categories for consideration by the Working Party:

· Health

· Young People

· Counselling

· Advice, Advocacy and Support

· Arts

· Events

Each application had been summarised in Appendix 1 within the appropriate category listed above, with the full applications attached as appendices to the report. Members confirmed that they had received copies of the following appendices, which had been slightly amended due some minor factual or formatting errors since their circulation with the agenda and papers. In each case, no changes had been made to the amount of funding applied for by the relevant organisation:

(a) HomeStart (Honington)

(b) Creative Arts East (Rural Touring Scheme)

Each application was required to be evaluated in accordance with the eligibility and selection criteria set out in Appendix 2, and was considered in turn.

Following due consideration, the following was agreed:

The Working Party considered the following applications fully met the eligibility and selection criteria and supported the allocation of the full amount for each project in 2017/2018, as applied for:

(a) Gatehouse Caring in East Anglia;

(b) Suffolk Cruse Bereavement Care;

(d) HomeStart (Mildenhall Road Estate);

(e) HomeStart (Acorn House);

(f) HomeStart (Coupals Court); and

(g) Suffolk West Citizens Advice Bureau (Operations).

The Working Party considered that the following applications met the eligibility and selection criteria; however as the Council had not previously granted Community Chest funding to these organisations before, Members felt that the allocation should be granted for one year only and not for two/three years, as applied for, in order that these organisations could firstly be given the opportunity to adequately demonstrate the benefits and success of their individual projects:

(a) Millenium Farm Trust;

(b) Upbeat Heart Support;

(d) Our Special Friends.

Whilst it was felt that no organisation should be granted for a three year period, as this was considered to be excessive at the present time, the Working Party considered that the following applications met the eligibility and selection criteria and were satisfied that funding should be recommended to be allocated for 2017/2018 and 2018/2019, as applied for:

(a) Suffolk Accident and Rescue Service (SARS); and

(b) Theatre Royal (Bury St Edmunds), but with a reduced amount.

In respect of the above two organisations, they would be asked to submit an evidence-based report detailing the benefits and success of their individual project in 2017/2018 so a re-assessment could be made before releasing funding for 2018/2019.

Regarding the application submitted by the Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds, as referred to above, for support towards funding their outreach programme, the Working Party noted that Bury St Edmunds Town Council had only very recently allocated a significant amount of its own grant funding towards this scheme, which due to timing, was not reported in the application. Members also noted that the Borough Council also allocated approximately £60,000 per year in core funding to the Theatre Royal.

The Working Party recognised the benefits of the project and considered it met the eligibility and selection criteria; however, it felt that an allocation of £5,000 in 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 instead of the £15,000 that had been applied for in 2017/2018 and 2018/2019, was a more appropriate amount for the reasons given above.

Members were minded to support the following applications; however some clarification and/or further information was required from the applicants, for the reasons given below:

(a) Suffolk Mind;

(b) Catch 22, Suffolk Positive Futures;

(d) Unit Twenty Three (‘Freefall’ production).

Suffolk Mind

Clarification was sought on whether the funding requested would be allocated in St Edmundsbury and specifically to one project.

Catch 22, Suffolk Positive Futures

Clarification was sought on whether the funding requested would be allocated to a project in St Edmundsbury or Forest Heath.

HomeStart (Honington)

Information was sought on whether other specific local sources of funding had been approached to support their project.

Unit Twenty Three (‘Freefall’ production)

Information was sought regarding the specific locations of the schools and communities the organisation intended to deliver their project and whether these were in St Edmundsbury.

Once this information was gathered, it was agreed that the Working Party would be consulted by email to ascertain whether it wished to confirm its intention to recommend grant funding to the above four organisations.

The following applications were not supported on this occasion and were therefore not recommended for funding:

(a) ActivLives;

(b) Cancer Campaign in Suffolk;

(d) Suffolk Academy;

(e) FamilyCarersNet;

(f) Suffolk West Citizens Advice Bureau (Health);

(g) AMP and DECK;

(h) Unit Twenty Three (Bury Youth Forum);

(i) YOPEY Befriender;

(j) Spinning Wheel;

(k) COMPASSION;

(l) Fresh Start New Beginnings;

(m) Junction 10;

(n) Community Action Suffolk (Volunteering);

(o) Community Action Suffolk (Locality);

(p) Suffolk Coalition of Disabled People (SCODP);

(q) Suffolk West Citizens Advice Bureau (MoneySmart);

(r) The Matthew Project;

(s) Multicultural Women’s Group Bury St Edmunds;

(t) Creative Arts East (Rural Touring Scheme);

(u) Creative Arts East (Our Day Out); and

(v) Haverhill Community Trust.

Reasons for this included:

· not meeting the eligibility and selection criteria;

· the quality of the application;

· lack of justification for the amount of funding requested and the amount of match funding achieved;

· similar projects already existed in St Edmundsbury, therefore some projects could be consolidated with other existing organisations through effective collaborative working; and

· projects could be funded by alternative funding sources.

If the Working Party’s recommendations were approved by the Cabinet, the officers would provided individual feedback to those applicants that had been unsuccessful.

Again, subject to approval, a total of £26,725.70 would remain available in the Community Chest Fund for 2017/2018, which if left unallocated in the 2017/2018 year, this balance could be carried forward to the 2018/2019 financial year. Members also noted that the Public Health proportion of the total Community Chest funding allocation would not be forthcoming in future years, therefore the total allocation in 2018/2019 was likely to be much less than 2017/2018.

RESOLVED That:

(1) although minded to support an allocation of funding in 2017/2018, consideration of the following applications be deferred to enable further information/clarification to be sought on the relevant application, namely:

(a) Suffolk Mind: £4,970.30;

(b) Catch 22, Suffolk Positive Futures: £8,189;

(d) Unit Twenty Three (‘Freefall’ production): £5,000.

(2) Having obtained the further information/clarification required on each of the four applications above, further discussion be undertaken on them with the Grant Working Party by email, following which delegated authority be given to the Head of Families and Communities, in consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Working Party to determine the level of grant (if any) to be recommended to Cabinet for approval.

RECOMMENDED That:

(1) the allocation of Community Chest funding for 2017/2018, as previously approved in 2016/2017 as part of two-year funding agreements, be noted, namely:

(a) Gatehouse Caring in East Anglia

(home furnishings):

£5,000

(b) HomeStart (borough wide):

£9,800

£5,000

(d) Relate Norfolk and Suffolk:

£5,000

(e) The Voluntary Network (Befriending Scheme):

£10,800

(f) The Voluntary Network (Community Cars):

£4,434

(g) Suffolk Rape Crisis

£4,800

(2) the allocation of Community Chest funding for 2017/2018, as detailed in Report No: GWP/SE/16/003, be approved, namely:

(a) Gatehouse Caring in East Anglia (towards Dementia Hub):

£10,000

(b) Millennium Farm Trust:

£10,000

£7,875

(d) Suffolk Cruse Bereavement Care:

£9,458

(e) Survivors in Transition (SiT):

£11,560

(f) Bury St Edmunds Women’s Aid Centre Ltd:

£5,400

(g) HomeStart

(Mildenhall Road Estate):

£10,767

(h) HomeStart (Acorn House):

£7,454

(i) HomeStart (Coupals Court):

£7,454

(j) Our Special Friends:

£6,000

(k) Suffolk West Citizens Advice Bureau (Operations):

£182,000

(3) subject to the budget setting process for 2018/2019, and subject to the satisfactory submission of evidence-based reports detailing the benefits and success of each individual project in 2017/2018, the allocation of Community Chest funding for 2017/2018 and 2018/2019, be approved, namely:

2017/18

2018/19

(a) Suffolk Accident Rescue Service (SARS):

£2,000

(b) Theatre Royal (Bury St Edmunds):

£5,000

(4) No Community Chest funding for 2017/2018 be awarded to:

(a) ActivLives;

(b) Cancer Campaign in Suffolk;

(d) Suffolk Academy;

(e) FamilyCarersNet;

(f) Suffolk West Citizens Advice Bureau (Health);

(g) AMP and DECK;

(h) Unit Twenty Three (Bury Youth Forum);

(i) YOPEY Befriender;

(j) Spinning Wheel;

(k) COMPASSION;

(l) Fresh Start New Beginnings;

(m) Junction 10;

(n) Community Action Suffolk (Volunteering);

(o) Community Action Suffolk (Locality);

(p) Suffolk Coalition of Disabled People (SCODP);

(q) Suffolk West Citizens Advice Bureau (MoneySmart);

(r) The Matthew Project;

(s) Multicultural Women’s Group Bury St Edmunds;

(t) Creative Arts East (Rural Touring Scheme);

(u) Creative Arts East (Our Day Out); and

(v) Haverhill Community Trust.

(5) No allocation of Community Chest funding for 2019/2020 be approved at this present time.

(Councillor Robert Everitt left the meeting during the consideration of Appendix 13: Application from Upbeat Heart Support.)

Supporting documents: