Supporting Communities Fund 2025-26
Argyll and Bute Council · 20 February 2025
Back to Policy and Resources Committee — 20 February 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE CHIEF EXECUTIVE UNIT 20 February 2025 Supporting Communities Fund 2025/26 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report provides more detailed proposals for an improved process for the Supporting Communities Fund in 2025/26, adding to the outlined proposals in the report approved by Policy & Resource Committee in December 2024. Recommendations incorporate findings from: a survey with community members and an internal review by officers. The aim is to provide an improved process for community groups applying and to maximise the number of groups that can receive funding available to support the needs of communities across Argyll and Bute. There are no financial implications. Recommendations, as set out in section 4.3 of the report are: • A focus on digital first with promotion of online application. • Non-digital application available if needed to ensure fairness and equality • A shorter application – one of the key asks from the community survey. • Maximum funding which can be applied reduced from £2,500 to £1,500 - allowing more community groups to be awarded funding. • Groups eligible to apply continue to be all third sector organisations in Argyll and Bute, with additional criteria of: ‘who have a turnover of £150,000 or less’. • Funding is to remain available for projects that come under one or more of the following criteria: Fairer, Resilient, Greener and Creative.
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE CHIEF EXECUTIVE UNIT 20 FEBRUARY 2025 Supporting Communities Fund 2025/26 2.0 INTRODUCTION 2.1 This provides more detailed proposals for improving the delivery of the Supporting Communities Fund (SCF) from 2025/26, taking account of feedback from community groups. 3.0 RECOMMENDATIONS Committee are asked to approve: a) A focus on digital first with promotion of online application. b) Non-digital application available if needed to ensure fairness and equality. c) A shorter application – one of the key asks from the community survey. d) Maximum funding which can be applied reduced from £2,500 to £1,500 - allowing more community groups to be awarded funding. e) Groups eligible to apply continue to be all third sector organisations in Argyll and Bute, with additional criteria of: ‘who have a turnover of £150,000 or less’. f) Funding is to remain available for projects that come under one or more of the following criteria: Fairer, Resilient, Greener and Creative. 4.0 DETAIL 4.1 The budget for this year’s Supporting Communities Fund will be set in after February 2025. The fund has been running for over 10 years and each year there are over 100 applications from community groups across Argyll and Bute. The process of applying to the fund is managed by the council’s
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Community Development Team with decisions made by elected members through Area Committees. Funding available from the council in the past 5 years has been £90,000; £22,500 for each area. The extent to which the fund is oversubscribed has increased each year. 4.2 To improve the fund from 2025/26, consideration has been given to: the level of funding award; the range of community organisations applying for the fund; ease of access to apply; and, potential implications of any changes proposed. 4.3 The key recommendations from a review, which included a survey with community groups, highlighted a need for the following: • A shorter application. • An online application form for applicants, with a non-digital alternative • A lower maximum funding per project to enable more groups to benefit from the fund in each administrative area. • Criteria that would enable groups with lower financial turnover, less than £150,000, to benefit from the fund. 4.4 The highlights from the review and survey were: • 48% of respondents preferred a digital form with a desire to include images, diagrams and other types of information, this will be possible as part of an online application process. • There was 72% support for limiting the fund to organisations with less than £150,000 turnover. • 89% supported the funding continuing to be available to all types of third sector organisations across Argyll & Bute as currently set out in SCF guidance. • From an administrative perspective for the team, having an online application form will result in increased efficiency and time with processing. • Funds are limited, the fund is always over-subscribed. Having a maximum of £1,500 rather than £2,500 allows approximately 6 more groups to be funded per area; 24 more groups across Argyll and Bute. 4.5 The recommendations are: • A focus on digital first with promotion of online application. • Non-digital application available if needed to ensure fairness and equality. • A shorter application
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• Maximum funding per application of £1,500 • Groups eligible to apply continue to be all third sector organisations in Argyll and Bute, with additional criteria of: ‘who have a turnover of £150,000 or less’. • Criteria for funding to remain: Fairer, Resilient, Greener and Creative. 4.6 The launch of 2025/26 Supporting Communities Fund is 31st March 2025 with decisions made at Area Committee after recess. This is a revised timescale from previous years, as agreed at P&R Committee in December, to enable work to improve the fund to take place. Information on the agreed new timescale has been issued to all previous applicants to SCF and to all community groups via the Community Development Team. Any matters arising from this change will be supported by the team. 4.7 Should the recommendations, outlined in 4.5, be approved we will ensure clear messaging to community groups including those who participated in the survey to inform them of application routes and criteria for 2025/26. We will provide support to encourage digital applications, and seek to make this as simple a route as possible for groups. For example, this may include linking a community group’s information on projects submitted through Aspiring Places to the SCF application process, should this be an option. 5.0 CONCLUSION 5.1 The recommendations have arisen from a survey with community groups and a review of internal processes to seek options that will improve SCF for groups applying in 2025/26. They have the potential to enable an improved, more efficient and streamlined process, improving the customer journey and reach of the fund to community organisations across Argyll & Bute. 6.0 IMPLICATIONS 6.1 Policy This has linkages that support the council’s policy on increasing Digital options for customers. 6.2 Financial None. 6.3 Legal There are no legal implications.
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6.4 HR There are no personnel implications. 6.5 Fairer Scotland Duty: 6.5.1 Equalities - protected characteristics 6.5.2 Socio-economic Duty 6.5.3 Islands. 6.6 Climate Change The current Greener criteria encourages projects to improve the environment. 6.7 Risk There is a risk that the digital application process uptake is not as expected. This will be monitored during the application stage and support to encourage uptake or provide alternatives (e.g. downloadable application forms) 6.8 Customer Service Community Development Officers are in close contact with customers of the SCF process to provide guidance and support. 6.9 The Rights of the Child (UNCRC) Groups with projects supporting young people, or who may have young people on their community group were contacted to take part in the survey. Chief Executive – Pippa Milne Policy Lead – Mark Irvine 29 January 2025 For further information contact: Suzanne Mason, Engagement and Communities Lead, suzanne.mason@argyll-bute.gov.uk or Rona Gold, Communities and Partnership Manager, rona.gold@argyll-bute.gov.uk, 01436 658 862. APPENDICES None