Issue - meetings

This report sets out proposals to use the Community Fund budget allocated as part of the 2015/16 Council Budget.

Resolved:  That the Executive agree to the use of the un-allocated Community fund budget for the purposes outlined in the report, detailed in paragraph 14. 

Reason:     In order to support the Council’s commitment to ensure people get the right level of support at the right time, supporting local residents and Communities in developing local services and prevent unnecessary demands on formal adult social care where peoples needs could more appropriately be met within the community.

Members considered a report which set out proposals for the use of the Community Fund budget, allocated as part of the 2015/16 Council budget. It was noted that over the next two years it was intended to invest in community initiatives. In particularly those which prevented or delayed the need for people to access statutory social care provision by supporting the development of community and voluntary sector capacity to identify and respond to local needs. 

Local Ward Committees had already been allocated £150k over the next two financial years on a ‘per capita basis’ to support both the priorities identified by local residents and ward members.

Officers presented details of the aims of the programme and potential initiatives together with proposals for the use of the un-allocated £350k budget aimed at supporting the vision and direction for the Council’s new operating model across the city. Officers also acknowledged that as ward profiles were all different a ‘menu’ of initiatives would be provided.

Members expressed their support for the initiative which provided for the needs of the individual wards and to the monitoring which would be undertaken in order to measure the success of the overall funding initiative.

Some Members raised concerns regarding sustainability, the development of networks, general capacity and the ‘per capita’ basis for the allocation of funding. Officers confirmed that a new Co-ordinator post would be supported for a maximum of two years to work with communities and co-ordinate activity across the city and that monitoring and the use of other data sources would assist in measuring the success of the overall initiative.

The Executive Member welcomed the cultural commissioning and early interventions proposed which would prove to be more cost effective and provide future resilience.

Resolved:  That the Executive agree to the use of the un-allocated Community fund budget for the purposes outlined in the report, detailed in paragraph 14. ^1.

Reason:     In order to support the Council’s commitment to ensure people get the right level of support at the right time, supporting local residents and Communities in developing local services and prevent unnecessary demands on formal adult social care where peoples needs could more appropriately be met within the community.