Argyll and Bute TSI
Argyll and Bute Council · 12 November 2024
Back to Helensburgh and Lomond Area Community Planning Group — 12 November 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Page | 1 Report: Helensburgh and Lomond Area Community Planning Group Paper: Third Sector Interface (TSI) Date: 12 November 2024 Prepared by: Caryl Mclean Scottish Government, Parliament, the TSI landscape and policy activity The Scottish Government’s Budget position has been well covered in the media and on 3rd September 2024 the Finance Secretary announced over £500m in direct savings. Whilst our local community and third sector has not suffered directly as a result, many in the sector have been awaiting the outcome of the UK Government’s budget on 30th October 2024 and the implications for the next Scottish Government Budget due in December 2024. We note that transformational change for the public sector is predicated on a third sector able to invest in preventative and early intervention services. This is reflected in our last funding letter from the Scottish Government and indeed in much of the work of this TSI since 2021. On 4th September the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government was published and included the long awaited 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) Progress Following April’s Community Planning Partnership (CPP) meeting the CEO presented the report’s findings to the four Area Community Planning Groups (ACPG) in May and then again in August 2024. The CPP’s CWB steering group will meet for a further time in November to identify how to take forward the specific recommendations contained in April’s report. Community Benefits Part of the CWB report outputs was a review of how we approach community benefits arising from major infrastructure schemes. In September 2024 we have worked with some emerging local coalitions in Dunoon to approach the structure of a potential fund via a public event. More strategically there may well 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. Meeting with Argyll and Bute Council Chief Executive Under discussion was the need to collaborate on the development of local place plans, supporting the third sector to collaborate more deeply in project development and the design and delivery of shared services for the sector.
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Page | 2 Internal Matters/Sector Support And Strategic Action Plan Delivery 1. ABTSI strategy development preparations Further to the Board’s decision in April 2024, 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. 2. Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund – Year four grant and preparations The fund opened in early September 2024 and by the fund’s close on 14th October 2024, 75 applications had been received totaling £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. 3. Argyll and Bute Climate Action Network (ABCAN) The TSI supported Argyll and Bute Climate Action Network continues and year two of the seed corn funding programme are currently being disbursed using the TSO platform. A third funding round is anticipated for December 2024 again at the lower level of £10,000. 4. Work of the Wellbeing Development Manager The Wellbeing Development Manager, hosted by the TSI and funded by Macmillan Cancer Support and the HSCP, has continued to work at pace. Winter Welcome Spaces The H&L TSI Support Advisor has been working with David Haggerty to update collectively held information around Winter Welcome Spaces.