Supporting Communities Fund - Review and Outline Proposals
Argyll and Bute Council · 5 December 2024
Back to Policy and Resources Committee — 5 December 2024 and its agenda
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE CHIEF EXECUTIVES 5 December 2024 Supporting Communities Fund - review and outline proposals 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The council’s annual Supporting Communities Fund – a small grants scheme for community groups – is managed and distributed by the council’s Community Planning and Community Development Team with decisions on successful applications to the fund made at Area Committees following recommendations by officers. Each year the service review the fund, and this report contains outcomes of this years internal review and proposes improvements for 2025/26 which include changes to the timeframe for applications and decisions, and potential changes to the method of applying to the fund. There are no financial implications. Recommendations: • Note the findings from the internal review and that further feedback is being gathered from community groups on their experiences to help improvements. • Agree the proposed next steps and timeframe for the 2025/26 Supporting Communities Fund (SCF). • Agree that a detailed paper come to February 2025 Policy & Resources Committee to consider and agree an improved approach to SCF. • Approve that, within 2025/26, officers explore the scope of grants available to community groups in Argyll and Bute through the council, CPP partners and other funding bodies and consider possibilities for collaboration and realignment. Further to this, to consider the potential format of local decision making for grants available through the council and/ or collaborations.
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE CHIEF EXECUTIVES 5 DECEMBER 2024 Supporting Communities Fund review and outline proposals 2.0 INTRODUCTION 2.1 This paper sets out recommendations from an internal review of the council’s annual Supporting Communities Fund (SCF) to support improvements for communities applying in 2025/26. 2.2 Each year the Community Planning and Community Development Service review the SCF process. This report contains outcomes of this years’ internal review and proposes improvements for 2025/26 which include changes to the timeframe for applications and decisions. The internal review has also highlighted opportunity to improve the way of applying for SCF. We expect further suggestions for improvements to come through the survey with community groups. 3.0 RECOMMENDATIONS Committee are asked to: 3.1 Note the findings from the internal review and that further feedback is being gathered from community groups on their experiences to help improvements. 3.2 Agree the proposed next steps and timeframe for the 2025/26 round of Supporting Communities Fund (SCF). 3.3 Agree that a detailed paper come to February 2025 Policy & Resources Committee to consider and agree an improved approach to SCF for 2025/26. 3.4 Approve that, within 2025/26, officers explore the scope of grants available to community groups in Argyll and Bute through the council, CPP partners and other funding bodies and consider possibilities for collaboration and realignment. Further to this, to consider the potential format of local decision making for grants available through the council and/ or collaborations.
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4.0 DETAIL 4.1 The Supporting Communities Fund comprises a total of £90,000 (£22,500 per administrative area) available for community groups to apply each year. It funds a range of projects which meet the fund’s current criteria of Fairer, Resilient, Greener and Creative. Monitoring of spend shows that the fund delivers positive impacts for communities. 4.2 The fund attracts over 100 applications each year. With maximum available grant of £2,500, the fund is always oversubscribed. 4.3 SCF is managed, on behalf of the council, by the Community Planning and Community Development Service with decisions on successful applicants made at Area Committees. 4.4 The revised Council Priorities, under the heading of ‘Communities’, include a desire to build on and deepen our understanding of local issues and work collaboratively with community groups to increase empowerment and the delivery of local solutions. This links with a number of key emerging strategies and approaches under Connect for Success, including the Engaging Communities Framework, which is developing to provide a corporate approach and resource for engagement; Service Design, an approach to service design with input from citizens; and Digital Strategy which encourages online processes where possible. It is in this context that we wish to improve the council’s Supporting Communities Fund. 4.5 The key findings from the internal review of the 2024/25 SCF highlighted the following opportunities to be explored: a. An online form for applications. b. A review of the size of the application form and the information required in it, including banking information of groups. c. Consider reducing the total amount of funds awarded per project to allow more projects to be funded. d. A review of criteria on which applications are scored to ensure that smaller groups have equity in competing with larger community groups. 4.6 To improve SCF management and distribution in 2025/26, the suggestion is to:
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engage community groups for their experiences to incorporate into the design of the next phase (Service Design approach); Finalise a list of recommendations taking account of community feedback and points a-d above; explore digital options and develop an options appraisal with the details coming to Policy and Resources in February 2025. 4.7 To undertake a full review with detailed options of improvements for SCF, a revised timeline is proposed. Call for applications: March – May 2025 (usually February deadline) Area Committee awards funding: August - September 2025 (usually April/ May) 4.8 There are also opportunities to improve linkages with digital developments such as the CONSUL platform, being used for Aspiring Places project, which has functions for voting and could be used for future Participatory Budgeting ways of distributing SCF, or link the value of the groups uploading projects to Aspiring Places by direct linking to existing council funds such as SCF. By exploring these linkages this could potentially allow the development of a service delivery model that is more responsive to the needs of communities and in line with the One Council approach. 4.9 Over a longer term there may be benefits to explore the scope of grants available to community groups in Argyll and Bute through the council, CPP partners and other funding bodies and consider possibilities for collaboration and realignment. And, further to this, to consider the potential format of local decision making for grants available through the council and/ or collaborations. 5.0 CONCLUSION 5.1 The internal review of the SCF has highlighted a range of opportunities for improvement and officers are seeking approval for a change of timescale to the 2025/26 distribution of the fund to allow for a fuller exploration, with communities, on the options to improve SCF for 2025/26. A detailed proposal of improvements for the fund will be brought to P&R Committee in February 2025. 6.0 IMPLICATIONS 6.1 Policy There may be opportunity to change the criteria of the fund to align to the council’s priorities for communities in Argyll and Bute.
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6.2 Financial The change in timescales is favourable for the budget setting timescales, allowing the amount available for SCF to be known following the budget decisions in February, rather than call for applications before council decisions on next year’s budget. 6.3 Legal There are no legal implications. 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. There will be an EqSEIA screening carried out before any changes are implemented where required. Island community groups benefit from the fund. In proposing changes we will consider the impacts and seek to mitigate identified risks. 6.6 Climate Change The current Greener criteria encourages projects to improve the environment. 6.7 Risk There is a risk for community groups who may be hoping to be funded for summer activities. We have no way to know this with certainty but will mitigate the risk by promoting other funds available to groups seeking to run activities in the summer. 6.8 Customer Service There are no implications for customer service. 6.9 The Rights of the Child (UNCRC) There are no specific implications for UNCRC. These will be considered as part of EqSEIA. Chief Executive – Pippa Milne Policy Lead – Mark Irvine 4 November 2024
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For further information contact: Suzanne Mason, Engagement and Communities Lead, suzanne.mason@argyll-bute.gov.uk. Rona Gold, Communities and Partnership Manager, rona.gold@argyll-bute.gov.uk, 01436 658 862. APPENDICES None