Argyll and Bute Third Sector Interface Update

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Argyll and Bute Third Sector Interface Partner
Update – OLI ACPG   Period: July to October 2024
Transformational change for the public sector is predicated on a third
sector able to invest in preventative and early intervention services.  On 4th September
the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government was published and included
the Community Wealth Building legislation as well as a Bill intended to address
Climate Change – both areas that the TSI has been heavily involved in working with
other local partners.
Community Wealth Building (CWB) will meet for a further time in November to
identify how to take forward the specific recommendations contained in April’s report. 
Given the forthcoming legislation we would expect Argyll and Bute’s anchor
organisations to take increasingly more interest in the focus and extent of
implementing this new economic methodology. Part of the CWB report outputs was a
review of how we approach community benefits arising from major infrastructure
schemes.  Strategically there may be scope to research the whole field of community
benefits to analyse how it is spent and identify room for improvement, improve
transparency and focus on local needs.
ABTSI Strategy development preparations the CEO has been working on a plan to
deliver a survey and focus groups identifying key local third and social enterprise
issues in general for three reasons:-
• Map and identify the concerns and needs of the sector
• Use the findings to drive an overarching training, events, and networking
calendar
• Use the findings to drive the TSI's new strategy, business plan and a sector led
campaign.
Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund – As with 2023-2024 funding is
broadly the same with £280,979.23 for the fund itself.  The fund opened in early
September 2024 and by the fund’s close on 14th October 2024 75 applications had
been received totalling £503,647.98.  That represents 179 per cent of available funds. 
A Lived Experience reviewing panellist is being recruited and funds are expected to
be disbursed by the end of November 2024.
Argyll and Bute Climate Action Network (ABCAN) continues and year two of the
seed corn funding programme are currently being disbursed using the A&B TSI TSO
platform.  A third funding round is anticipated for December 2024 again at the lower
level of £10,000.
The Wellbeing Development Manager, hosted by the TSI and funded by Macmillan
Cancer Support and the HSCP, has continued to work at pace. The outputs from a
collaborative workshop held in June has been captured and a video is available from
the A&B TSI website. As a follow on from the workshop in June a two-day Art of
Hosting Workshop was held at Barmolloch Farm on the 28th and 29th October.