Agenda item

The Executive RESOLVED that

(i)           a Poverty Working Group be established to oversee the revised plans and schedule for addressing poverty within the borough, as outlined in Annex B to the agenda report;

(ii)          the Poverty Working Group initially be comprised of community representatives, voluntary sector, Surrey Heath CCG, and Councillors from Old Dean, St Michaels and Watchetts;

(iii)         a ward councillor community fund grant be established, as set out at Annex D to the agenda report; and

(iv)         any underspend from the Hardship Fund agreed on 24 March 2020 (minute 110/E refers) be repurposed for an individual hardship fund, to be administered by Citizens Advice Surrey Heath, and to fund the ward councillor community fund grant scheme for the remainder of 2020/21.

The Executive was reminded that, at its meeting on 18 February 2020, it had considered a report on Poverty in Surrey Heath and agreed that a study would be undertaken to help understand what services were currently offered and what was required to support those living in poverty. An outline action plan would then be produced that could address this inequality, together with clear improvement measures.

A Poverty Working Group comprising of community representatives, the voluntary sector, Surrey Heath Clinical Commissioning Group, Councillors, and officers was intended to progress this work. The Executive agreed that the membership of the Working Group would initially involve the ward councillors for Old Dean, St Michaels, and Watchetts wards but this could be broadened in due course.

It was proposed that a revised project scope be adopted due to theexpectation that the poverty landscape would be radically changed post Covid. It was suggested that the Poverty Working Group review the data and information outlined within the Citizen Advice Report from Joseph Harley published in June 2020, on ‘Universal Credit, 18 months on’.

The Executive considered a proposal to repurpose any unspent money in the Hardship Fund agreed in March 2020. The funding would be repurposed for an individual hardship fund, which would be administered by Citizens Advice Surrey Heath, and to create a Ward Councillor Community Fund Grant Scheme. The details and criteria for the Ward Councillor Community Fund Grant Scheme, as set out at Annex D to the agenda report, were noted.

Members were advised that, although the unspent balance from the Hardship Fund would finance the Ward Councillor Community Fund Grant Scheme for the remainder of the 2020/21 financial year, it had not been identified how it would be funded from April 2021 onwards. It was therefore proposed that a further item be brought to the Executive in February 2021, which would also include a review of the existing Community Grants Scheme.

RESOLVED that

(i)        a Poverty Working Group be established to oversee the revised plans and schedule for addressing poverty within the borough, as outlined in Annex B to the agenda report;

(ii)      the Poverty Working Group initially be comprised of community representatives, the voluntary sector, Surrey Heath Clinical Commissioning Group, and Councillors from Old Dean, St Michaels and Watchetts wards;

(iii)     a ward councillor community fund grant be established, as set out at Annex D to the agenda report;

(iv)     any underspend from the Hardship Fund agreed on 24 March 2020 (minute 110/E refers) be repurposed for an individual hardship fund, to be administered by Citizens Advice Surrey Heath, and to finance the ward councillor community fund grant scheme for the remainder of 2020/21; and

(v)      a further report be brought to the Executive in February 2021 on a review of the Community Fund Grant Scheme and the funding for the Ward Councillor Community Fund Grant Scheme.

Note 1: In accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct, Councillor Shaun Garrett declared a non-pecuniary interest as he was involved with the Old Dean Community Group (ODCOG), which had been referred to in the agenda report.