Agenda item

This report advises Members of the applications received for financial support of £5,000 or over from the Chief Executive’s voluntary sector funding budget for 2007/2008. The Executive Leader is requested to consider officer recommendations to put in place a number of funding agreements, including three year agreements, for amounts up to £50,000 and to forward a recommendation to the Executive for an award of over £50,000.  The report also considers the need for a review of future options for making most effective use of the Chief Executive’s voluntary sector funding in the face of continuing budget pressures and commitments in the Local Area Agreement.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Leader be advised to approve:

 (i) To put in place four new 3 year funding agreements from 2007/8 to 2010/11 at a cost of £218,042; referring the decision in respect of the proposed award to York CAB to the Executive for approval as this is over £50,000;

(ii) To put in place 3 new annual funding agreements at a cost of £31,994;

(iii)To set aside the remainder of the budget for awards of less than £5,000 and DRR awards (without accompanying grant applications) to be delegated to the Chief Officer;

(iv)To make awards subject to the receipt of satisfactory accounts and reports, where necessary, as set out in paragraph 45 of the report; 

                                    Subject to the outcome of Budget council.

(v)That the existing arrangements for staging payments to Voluntary and Community Organisations (VCO’s) be retained;

(vi) That Officers review the options for making the most effective use of the Chief Executives funding budget during the coming year, bearing in mind the commitments contained in the Local Area Agreement, and as discussed in paragraphs 17 to 23 of the report, and that the proposals be brought back to Members in due course.

Decision of the Executive Leader

RESOLVED:             That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:                  (i) So that the Council can enter into Service Level Agreements with the organisations funded for the provision of a range of services for the residents of York;

                                    (ii) To notify VCO’s promptly regarding the timing and frequency of payments;

(iii) So that the most effective use can be made of the Chief Executives budget in the future.

Members considered a report which advised them of the applications received for financial support of £5000 or over from the Chief Executives voluntary sector funding budget for 2007/2008. The Executive Leader was requested to consider officer recommendations to put in place a number of funding agreements, including three year agreements, for amounts up to £50,000, and to forward a recommendation to the Executive for an award of over £50,000. The report also considered the need for a review of future options for making most effective use of the Chief Executive’s voluntary sector funding in the face of continuing budget pressures and commitments in the Local Area Agreement.

The report presented the following options in relation to the applications for funding received:

A.            Maintain existing awards as far as possible by ‘sharing out’ or ‘spreading the cost’ of the shortfall across all existing awards.

B:        Share out the available budget between all those applications which meet the funding criteria, including new applications.

C:        Make limited savings according to the relative priority of services in relation to the Chief Executive’s budget criteria and taking into account the financial circumstances of individual organisations. 

Officers updated that there was a shortfall in the budget available in relation to the requests for funding received.

Cllr Merrett stated that the Labour Group would reserve their position for Budget Council.

He expressed his concerns regarding the fact that there was no increase in funding in line with inflation.

Cllr Merrett moved an amendment to one of the recommendations of the report, that paragraph 48 be amended to read:

It is also recommended that officers review the options for making the most effective use of the Chief Executives funding budget, and whether any increases in it are required, during the coming year, bearing in mind the commitments contained in the LAA, and as discussed in paragraphs 17 to 23 above, and that proposals be brought back to Members in due course.

This was seconded by Cllr D’Agorne. This motion was put to the vote and the motion was lost.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Leader be advised to approve:

 (i) To put in place four new 3 year funding agreements from 2007/8 to 2010/11 at a cost of £218,042; referring the decision in respect of the proposed award to York CAB to the Executive for approval as this is over £50,000;

(ii) To put in place 3 new annual funding agreements at a cost of £31,994;

(iii)To set aside the remainder of the budget for awards of less than £5,000 and DRR awards (without accompanying grant applications) to be delegated to the Chief Officer;

(iv)To make awards subject to the receipt of satisfactory accounts and reports, where necessary, as set out in paragraph 45 of the report; 

                                    Subject to the outcome of Budget council.

(v)That the existing arrangements for staging payments to Voluntary and Community Organisations (VCO’s) be retained;

(vi) That Officers review the options for making the most effective use of the Chief Executives funding budget during the coming year, bearing in mind the commitments contained in the Local Area Agreement, and as discussed in paragraphs 17 to 23 of the report, and that the proposals be brought back to Members in due course.

Decision of the Executive Leader

RESOLVED:             That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:                  (i) So that the Council can enter into Service Level Agreements with the organisations funded for the provision of a range of services for the residents of York;

                                    (ii) To notify VCO’s promptly regarding the timing and frequency of payments;

(iii) So that the most effective use can be made of the Chief Executives budget in the future.