Agenda item

Revenue Grants 2024/25

Decision:

The Executive RESOLVED that:

(i) The following revenue grants be awarded for 2024/25 to:

a. Surrey Heath Citizens Advice - £95,000;

b. The Hope Hub - £40,000;

c. Voluntary Support North Surrey - £20,000;

d. Voluntary Support North Surrey – Time to Talk project - £7,000;

e. Camberley & Districts Job Club - £8,000;

f. Surrey Heath Age Concern - £10,000;

(ii) The funding for Surrey Heath Citizens Advice and the Hope Hub be ringfenced for 4 years (subject to any significant changes to the Council’s finances over that period);

(iii) The funding for Voluntary Support North Surrey, and Surrey Heath Age Concern be ringfenced for 2 years (subject to any significant changes to the Council’s finances over that period);

(iv) The funding for Voluntary Support North Surrey – Time to Talk project and Camberley and Districts Job Club be reviewed at the end of the 2024/25 financial year and formal notice be given to both organisations that funding may there not continue beyond 2024/25;

(v) The following organisations be advised in writing that revenue grant funding will not be awarded grant funding in 2024/25 financial year and that funding provided is in the form of a one off transitional payment to support the end of the revenue grant;

a. Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership - £5,000

b. Basingstoke Canal Authority - £5,000;

(vi) The Leader of the Council writes to Surrey County Council and Hampshire County Council in relation to the organisations in (v) in order to identify their plans to support the future sustainability of those organisations, and;

(vii) All grants be subject to service level agreements.

(viii) The Council continues to provide other in-kind benefits to local voluntary sector organisations as set out in Annex A of the report, and would be open to other requiring it.

Minutes:

The Executive considered a report which outlined the options for the Revenue Grant scheme for the 3^rd Sector for the period 1^st April 2024 to 31^st March 2025.

The Council’s non-ringfenced Revenue Grant recipient organisations had been advised in February 2023 that as a result of budget restrictions, the Council would not able to provide financial support in the form of a revenue grant beyond 31^st March 2024. Throughout the year, the Council had worked to assist the organisations to identify other funding sources and the recommendations within this paper are based on the identified funding sources.

The Executive considered a scheme of funding which took into account the recommendations and work of the External Partnerships Select Committee, which had considered and scrutinised the revenue grant holder organisations and their applications for funding for 2024/25, and the views of the Portfolio Holder with the aim of mitigating the impact of removal of revenue grants and to provide some transitional support to those organisations who will not be in receipt of a revenue grant in 2025/26.

Members expressed a desire for Revenue Grant recipients’ Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to capture the equality and diversity objectives of the Council, and to promote a wide-spread impact across the borough. Moreover, Members indicated a wish to obtain further data from Voluntary Support North Surrey in respect of volunteer placements in order to better evaluate the organisation’s value for money.

Following the Executive’s discussions, the Chair proposed several amendments to the recommendations in the agenda report, with the aim of providing additional certainty to key voluntary partners where possible, as well as softening the transition for others.

RESOLVED that: