Agenda item

This matter is the responsibility of Executive Councillor for Community, Councillor Chris Booth and Executive Councillor for Housing, Councillor Francesca Smith.

The purpose of the report is to present the findings of the annual review of grants the Council awards to Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) and Not for Profit organisations.

Executive recommended that Full Council approved in relation to the VCS grants within the scope of the review:-

1)    To continue funding VCS organisations at current levels for 2020/21 whilst the key points raised during the review detailed in this paper were addressed;

2)    In June/July 2020 carried out a review of current areas of funding and set new funding objectives in line with the Councils corporate objectives and current needs within the community and report to the Scrutiny Committee in September 2020; and

3)    During 2020/21 officers should work closely with all grant recipients to ensure targets were met and grants were offering value for money.

Executive recommended that Full Council approved in relation to the Taunton and West Somerset Citizens Advice Organisations:-

1)    To agree an additional allocation of £25000 within the Councils 2020/21 budget for a ‘one off’ grant in order to help maintain the Local Assistance Scheme and to provide staffing capacity to enable Citizens Advice Managers to engage with transformation related work;

2)    To agree an additional allocation of £8000 within the Councils 2020/21 budget to enable the joint commissioning of a consultant to work alongside the Citizens Advice (CA) services;

3)    To jointly commission (with other District Councils and Somerset County Council) a consultant to work with the CAs to explore different operating models, transformation of service delivery, use of technology and interventions to reduce service demand;

4)    To undertake a comprehensive review of SWT financial support for CA services during Summer/Autumn 2020 following receipt of the consultant’s report; and

5)    To work proactively with Citizens Advice Taunton (CAT) and West Somerset Advice (WSA) to explore suitable accommodation options.

During the discussion, the following points were made:-

·         Councillors spoke on the amazing work carried out by the Advice Bureaus and the support they gave to the customers across the whole district.

·         The Leader was proud of the work that the Council achieved with its grants and wanted to ensure that the funds were given to those that it would impact positively and help the majority that it could.

·         Councillors believed that every organisation that received funds, gave value for money.

·         Councillors suggested match funding, as it was important that groups needed to be sustainable.

·         Concern was raised on the consultancy process being used and whether the Council was comfortable that there would be no legal challenge.

Officers advised that other Councils have had to revise the funding that they issued to organisations and that there were many options that could have been undertaken but they felt that a review was the best way forward and had involved consultants to undertake the work and that they would include the other districts in the area.

·         Councillors were disappointed that Somerset County Council had cut their grants to the Advice Bureaus and that had made the work Somerset West and Taunton Council (SWT) did with grants more difficult.

·         Councillors queried that West Somerset Advice Bureau (WSAB) was moving premises and whether the Taunton Citizen Advice Bureau (TCAB) was in the best location.

Officers advised that the TCAB was in ongoing discussions with SWT’s Asset Team but that the configuration arrangements needed to be looked at.

·         Councillors wanted assurance that the Advice Bureaus wanted help from the consultants and that they were not there to tell the Advice Bureau how to work.

Officers gave clarification and assurance that the review was exploratory and that there was plenty of dialogue between SWT and the Advice Bureaus.  The Council had not forced the Advice Bureaus to be part of the wider network but they had seen the benefit of doing so.

·         Councillors believed that the working model of the Advice Bureaus needed to be relooked at and that the Citizen Advice Bureaus needed to carry out a nationwide review.

The WSAB and TCAB had independent discussions on working together due to financial implications.

Executive recommended that Full Council approved in relation to the VCS grants within the scope of the review:-

1)    To continue funding VCS organisations at current levels for 2020/21 whilst the key points raised during the review detailed in this paper were addressed;

2)    In June/July 2020 carried out a review of current areas of funding and set new funding objectives in line with the Councils corporate objectives and current needs within the community and report to the Scrutiny Committee in September 2020; and

3)    During 2020/21 officers should work closely with all grant recipients to ensure targets were met and grants were offering value for money.

Executive recommended that Full Council approved in relation to the Taunton and West Somerset Citizens Advice Organisations:-

1)    To agree an additional allocation of £25000 within the Councils 2020/21 budget for a ‘one off’ grant in order to help maintain the Local Assistance Scheme and to provide staffing capacity to enable Citizens Advice Managers to engage with transformation related work;

2)    To agree an additional allocation of £8000 within the Councils 2020/21 budget to enable the joint commissioning of a consultant to work alongside the Citizens Advice (CA) services;

3)    To jointly commission (with other District Councils and Somerset County Council) a consultant to work with the CAs to explore different operating models, transformation of service delivery, use of technology and interventions to reduce service demand;

4)    To undertake a comprehensive review of SWT financial support for CA services during Summer/Autumn 2020 following receipt of the consultant’s report; and

5)    To work proactively with Citizens Advice Taunton (CAT) and West Somerset Advice (WSA) to explore suitable accommodation options.