Agenda item

Consider report by Service Director Customer and Communities.  (Copy attached.)

With reference to paragraph 1 of the Minute of 28 February 2019, there had been circulated copies of a report by the Service Director Customer and Communities on the proposed interim allocation and governance arrangements for the Community Fund for Area Partnerships and a proposed review and consultation on the way forward.  The report explained that as part of the Fit for 2024 proposals it had been agreed to consolidate a number of existing Council funds into a single Scottish Borders Council Community Fund to be devolved to the five Area Partnerships from 1 April 2019.  The total Community Fund available for 2019/20 was £1,166,433.  Community Councils’ funding would continue to be allocated at the same level for 2019/20 to allow a review of these grants to take place.  Given the short time scale in introducing the Community Fund, it was now proposed that, in order to give financial security and continuity to Village Halls and Local Festivals in the coming year, that, as with grants to Community Councils, these grants were also allocated in 2019/20 on the same basis and with the same criteria as in 2018/19.  The additional Fit for 2024 funding of £445,000 to the Community Fund agreed as part of the budget was allocated to Area Partnerships based on a per head of population.  This was the same allocation basis for the £288,670 which was the remaining balance of available funds after deduction of the funding for the Community Action Team (CAT) and financial plan savings.  This left a balance of funding in the Community Fund of £234,900 from the residual Community Grant Scheme and Quality of Life Funding for devolvement to Area Partnerships for 2019/20.  A number of options were given in the Appendices to the report on methodology for the allocation of this to Area Partnerships, including current allocation, per head of population and by Scottish Index Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) or a combination of these methods.  It was proposed that this funding was allocated to each Area Partnership on the basis of: Community Grant Scheme – current allocation (population base) less £35k for Borders Wide applications; and Quality of Life – current allocation basis i.e. £20k per Area Partnership. In order to ensure there was no gap in the provision of grants to communities and local organisations, it was suggested that interim arrangements were put in place for Area Partnerships disbursing their Community Fund to operate from 1 April 2019.  It was therefore proposed that the current criteria for applications to the existing Community Grant Scheme was used for community groups to apply for funding and a new application form was made available.  While the limit on the current Community Grant was £5k it was proposed to extend this to £10k, or in exceptional cases up to £30k.  The applications meeting the required criteria for Community Fund money would be presented to Area Partnerships for decision, with no decision making devolved to officers.  At the moment there would be no change in membership of Area Partnerships but it was proposed that a public consultation was carried out to include all stakeholders (Community Councils, community organisations, Community Planning Partners, other interested parties, etc.) as part of a review to assess Area Partnerships as a model of community level governance.  This review would include input to the design of the future governance arrangements of Area Partnerships and the disbursement of the Community Fund.  A report would be brought to Council with details of this Review. Members discussed the proposals and their questions were answered including addressing the concerns of rural communities and how to encourage community groups to work together.  With regard to approval of Borders wide fund applications, Councillor Moffat, seconded by Councillor H. Anderson, moved that the approval of grants from the Borders Wide Fund should be approved by Council rather than the Executive and this was unanimously approved.

DECISION

AGREED:-

(a)     to note that funding for Community Councils, as part of the new Community Fund allocated to Area Partnerships, would be allocated in 2019/20 on the same basis as in 2018/19;

(b)     that the previous Third Sector accommodation funding of £19,955 was used to contribute to the permanent effect of the financial plan saving 2018/19;

(c)     to note that funding from “Fit for 2024 Communities Fund” and the Localities Bid Fund had been previously agreed on a per head of population basis; 

(d)     that Area Partnerships would allocate funding to Village Halls and Local Festivals in 2019/20 on the same basis and to the same criteria as in 2018/19;

(e)     that the allocation of the remaining budget of the Community Fund per Area Partnership would be on the following basis:

(i)      Community Grant Scheme – current allocation (population base) less £35k for Borders-wide applications; and,

(ii)     Quality of Life – current allocation basis i.e. £20k per Area Partnership;

(f)      that the grants available from the new Community Fund on an interim basis would have the same criteria as that for the existing Community Grant Scheme for a grant of up to £10k, but in exceptional cases up to £30k;

(g)     that for an interim period, the decisions of Area Partnerships on the distribution of the remainder of the Community Fund would be by consensus (i.e. widespread agreement) and where consensus was not possible, then SBC Elected Members would make the final decision, with the Chairman of the Area Partnership having a casting vote if required should there be an even split amongst the SBC Elected Members;

(h)     that decisions regarding applications to the Borders wide fund would be made by full Council;

(i)      that the Clerk to the Council would make the necessary amendments to the Scheme of Administration and Scheme of Delegation following the decisions around the interim arrangements for allocation and governance of the Community Fund to Area Partnerships; and

(j)      that a further report would be brought to Council as soon as practicable detailing the proposed review, including public consultation, on the future governance arrangements for Area Partnerships, including the allocation and disbursement of the Community Fund.