Community Investment Fund 2022/23
Perth and Kinross Council · 7 September 2022
Back to Finance and Resources Committee — 7 September 2022 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
Page 1
PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL Finance and Resources Committee Wednesday 7 September 2022 COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUND 2022/23 Report by Head of Culture & Community Services (Report No. 22/212) 1. PURPOSE 1.1 This report asks Committee to consider and approve changes to the operation of the Community Investment Fund and sets out the timescales and funding levels for the 2022/23 round. 2. RECOMMENDATIONS 2.1 It is recommended that the Committee: i. agrees the proposed changes to decision making and grant monitoring/administration of CIF as set out in Sections 5 and 6, highlighted in bold italics. ii. notes the timings for the 2022/23 round of CIF as set out in paragraph 6.1. iii. notes the funding available for the 2022/23 round of CIF in paragraph 6.2. 3. STRUCTURE OF REPORT 3.1 This report is structured over the following sections: • Section 4: Background • Section 5: CIF Governance and Decision Making 2022/23 • Section 6: CIF 2022/23: Timescale and Process • Section 7: Conclusion 4. BACKGROUND 4.1 In 2018/19, the Council established a Community Investment Fund (CIF) as part of its commitment to devolve more decisions to local communities. Since then, £1.6m has been distributed in total to approximately 300 community-led projects. 4.2 In February 2022, the Council approved a further £100,000 in addition to the previously approved £300,000 for a further round of Community Investment Fund in 2022/23. This included an additional funding criterion relating to supporting community groups which are facing significant financial challenges as a result of rising energy costs. Including the small underspend from 2021/22 l, there is a grant pot of £410,665.79 for Community Investment Fund 2022/23.
Page 2
5. CIF GOVERNANCE AND DECISION MAKING 2022/23 5.1 In November 2021, Committee approved Report 21/222 which outlined proposed changes to how the CIF is managed. Following further work by officers, the following changes are recommended for CIF 2022/23: 5.2 Governance and Decision Making Decisions on the use of CIF funds are currently made by Ward Panels, composed of elected members and community representatives from each electoral ward. The only exception is in Kinross-shire, where final decisions on the use of the funds are taken by the Kinross-shire Local Committee within its approved remit. 5.3 Given the anticipated level of interest in the CIF, to ensure that there is as quick decision making as possible, each ward panel is asked to determine which elected member is available to chair the Panel meeting. Panel meetings will be scheduled at least 4 weeks in advance. 5.4 It is proposed that when funded projects need to change deliverables or timescales for good reason and the total grant award is less than £3,000, the Ward Panel Chair is asked to approve the change, on the basis of assessment and advice of a Communities Team officer. Only proposed changes to grants over £3,000 would require approval from the whole Ward Panel. 5.5 Impact on Outcomes CIF was established to support community-led projects which have a positive impact on inequalities and quality of life in our communities. CIF projects have varied enormously in their scale and coverage. This has made assessment of their collective strategic impact (as set out in the Local Outcomes Improvement Plan) challenging. 5.6 To improve this and to streamline the monitoring process, it is also proposed to introduce a tiered monitoring system proportionate to the size of the project: Tier Proposed monitoring solution 1 (project value less than £3,000) Provide a summary of the overall impact of the project; number of beneficiaries and number of volunteers involved. 2 (project value between £3,000- £9,999) Demonstrate how the project has impacted against identified priorities of the LOIP and a range of quantitative evidence to support this (tailored to reflect the specifics of the grant purpose and based on assessment of deliverability and reasonable impact. 3 (project value £10,000 or more) Demonstrate how the project has impacted against identified priorities of the LOIP, any wider outcomes and evidence to support this. Qualitative evaluation alongside quantitative measures will be required, tailored to reflect the specifics of the grant purpose and based on assessment of deliverability and reasonable impact.
Page 3
5.7 Previous rounds of CIF have required successful applicants to complete a project monitoring form at 6 months and again at 12 months. As CIF has run to different timescales and sometimes multiple rounds in each financial year, this has also been complex to administer. To streamline this, it is proposed to apply the requirement for 6-month monitoring updates to projects of £10,000 and over. For all other projects, a report 12 months after they have received their funding will be required. 5.8 CIF has provided funding to community-led projects for four years and the different rounds of funding have seen a growing number of bids from the same organisations. It is a requirement of the CIF that projects are time- limited or can be self-sustained longer term; ongoing revenue costs cannot be supported. Therefore, it is proposed that Ward Panels are asked to give extra weighting, at their local discretion, to applications from groups which have not previously received CIF funding. 6. CIF 2022/23: TIMESCALE AND PROCESS 6.1 If approved, these changes would be implemented for CIF 2022/23, which will open for applications on Monday 12 September and close on Friday 4 November 2022. Ward Panels will meet to make decisions between Monday 14 November and Friday 16 December, with funding paid out to successful applicants from January 2023. 6.2 Report 21/83 set out new arrangements for funding levels in each ward, which saw 50% of the committed funding being divided equally among all 12 multi- member wards and the remaining 50% split on the basis of the population of each ward. This ensures that there is a balance between more heavily populated wards receiving additional funding, whilst also ensuring that the less populated and more rural wards are not penalised. It is proposed that this distribution model is retained for 2022/23, which will result in the following funding being available across Perth and Kinross: Ward Base Fund Population Per Capita Top Up 2021/22 Underspend Total 2022/23 1 – Carse of Gowrie £16,667 10,079 £13,350 £3,846 £33,863 2 – Strathmore £16,667 15,518 £20,500 £2,857* £40,024* 3 – Blairgowrie & Glens £16,667 11,009 £14,500 £0 £31,167 4 – Highland £16,667 9,344 £12,400 £2,981 £32,048 5 – Strathtay £16,667 12,583 £16,600 £0.40 £33,267.40 6 – Strathearn £16,667 11,053 £14,600 £49 £31,316 7 – Strathallan £16,667 11,671 £15,500 £0 £32,167 8 – Kinross-shire £16,667 14,045 £18,500 £0 £35,167 9 – Almond & Earn £16,667 9,345 £12,450 £0 £29,117 10 – Perth City South £49,997 46,643 £61,600 £932.78 £112,529.78 11 – Perth City North 12 – Perth City Centre TOTAL £200,000 151,290 £200,000 £10,666.18 £410,666.18 *£1,200 of this carryover has been agreed (in principle) for Year 2 of the CanDo Project being delivered by the Strathmore Community Hub, subject to grant conditions. Taking this into account funding available in Ward 2 will be £38,824.
Page 4
7. CONCLUSION 7.1 The Community Investment Fund (CIF) invests in community-led projects which tackle inequalities and improve quality of life across Perth and Kinross. Governance and decision making has evolved since the first round of CIF in 2018/19 and further changes are proposed for 2022/23. 7.2 The 2022/23 CIF is the last round in the current form and Council will wish to consider proposals for its further evolution in the context of 2023/24 budget and the forthcoming new Council Corporate Plan. Alongside this, a Transformation Review of community engagement and empowerment has been scoped and will proceed later this year taking into account: the policy priorities of the Council; the changing external context, in particular the impact of cost of living and climate change on communities; and national policy aims including the 1% Community Choices programme. Author(s) Name Designation Contact Details Lee Haxton David Stokoe Community Planning Team Leader Service Manager – Communities comcommitteereports@pkc.gov.uk 01738 475000 Approved Name Designation Date Barbara Renton Executive Director (Communities) 26 August 2022 • Appendix - None
Page 5
ANNEX 1. IMPLICATIONS, ASSESSMENTS, CONSULTATION AND COMMUNICATION Strategic Implications Yes / None Community Plan / Local Outcomes Improvement Plan Yes Corporate Plan Yes Resource Implications Financial Yes Workforce None Asset Management (land, property, IST) None Assessments Equality Impact Assessment Yes Strategic Environmental Assessment Yes Sustainability (community, economic, environmental) Yes Legal and Governance None Risk None Consultation Internal Yes External None Communication Communications Plan None 1. Strategic Implications Community Plan/Single Outcome Agreement 1.1 Supporting and investing in community-led solutions to locally identified issues contributes to the delivery of the Perth and Kinross Community Plan / LOIP in terms of the following priorities: (i) Giving every child the best start in life (ii) Developing educated, responsible and informed citizens (iii) Promoting a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable economy (iv) Supporting people to lead independent, healthy and active lives (v) Creating a safe and sustainable place for future generations Corporate Plan 1.2 Supporting and investing in community-led solutions to locally identified issues contributes to the delivery of the Perth and Kinross Council Corporate Plan in terms of the following priorities: (i) Giving every child the best start in life; (ii) Developing educated, responsible and informed citizens; (iii) Promoting a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable economy; (iv) Supporting people to lead independent, healthy and active lives; and (v) Creating a safe and sustainable place for future generations. 2. Resource Implications Financial 2.1 Community Investment Fund has a budget of £410,666 for 2022/23.
Page 6
3. Assessments Equality Impact Assessment 3.1 Under the Equality Act 2010, the Council is required to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between equality groups. Carrying out Equality Impact Assessments for plans and policies allows the Council to demonstrate that it is meeting these duties. 3.2 The information contained within this report has been considered under the Corporate Equalities Impact Assessment Process (EqIA) and has been assessed as not relevant for the purposes of EqIA. Strategic Environmental Assessment 3.3 The Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 places a duty on the Council to identify and assess the environmental consequences of its proposals. 3.4 The information contained within this report has been considered under the Act. However, no action is required as the Act does not apply to the matters presented in this report. Sustainability 3.5 Under the provisions of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 the Council has to discharge its duties in a way which contributes to the achievement of sustainable development. Under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 the Council has a general duty to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability and the community, environmental and economic impacts of its actions. 3.6 The information contained within this report has been considered under the Act. However, no action is required as the Act does not apply to the matters presented in this report. 4. Consultation Internal 4.1 There has been consultation with the Finance Department, Communities and the Executive Officer Team. 2. BACKGROUND PAPERS 2.1 No background papers, as defined by Section 50D of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (other than any containing confidential or exempt information) were relied on to a material extent in preparing the above report.