Agenda item

The Committee considered the following report:

 

“1.0      Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

 

1.1          The main purpose of this report is to:

 

·         Advise members that the Community Support Programme (CSP) Letter of Offer for 2025/26 has not yet been received by Council from DfC.

·         Seek members approval to issue Letters of Offer for 2025/26 for Capacity Building & Revenue Grants and Generalist Advice in the absence of a Letter of Offer from DfC.

 

2.0        Recommendation

 

2.1        Members are asked to;

 

·         Consider the contents of the report and

 

·         Grant approval for officers to progress funding agreements for the Capacity Building, Revenue for Community Building grants and Generalist Advice for the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.  50% payments will be issued in advance upon the return of required paperwork with a second payment made pending return of satisfactory interim monitoring report covering 1 April to 30 September 2025 and available budget.

 

·         Note that Council does not have any budget to support activity that is 100% funded through the CSP. Members will note that a separate paper on the Social Supermarket Fund which is 100% funded through the CSP has been brought to committee this evening. A further report on other 100% funded elements will be provided when the CSP Letter of Offer has been received.

 

·         Approve the 2024 – 25 doubling of financial allocations for the Revenue of Community Buildings grants to the organisations  for the 2025 – 2026 financial year.

 

            Background information

 

3.1        Members will be aware that the Department for Communities (DfC) provides an annual grant to Council through its Community Support Programme (CSP) Letter of Offer. This funding provides an element of the budget towards Capacity Building and Revenue for Community Building grants as well as Generalist Advice.

 

            The CSP also provides 100% funding for other elements of activity such as Social Supermarkets and Welfare Reform Mitigations.

 

3.2        Council has yet to receive a CSP Letter of Offer for 2025/26 and therefore does not have the total budget available to provide the full grant allocation.  Any reduction in the DfC allocation will impact on the overall level of the grant budget and potentially awards to the grant recipients.  The CSP Letter of Offer is received in March - June each year, although members may recall that in 2024/25, DfC funding was released on a gradual basis and the full allocation was not provided until July 2024.

 

            Key Issues

 

3.3        Capacity Building and Revenue for Community Buildings Grants

 

            Members may be aware that in March 2023, Council agreed to provide multi-annual funding covering 3 years 2023-2026 for the Capacity Building and Revenue for Community Building grants. Although the grants are multiannual, Funding Agreements are made on an annual basis. 

 

            As part of the rate setting process, Council approved an additional budget envelope of £1.5 million for the 2025 – 2026 financial year, with this funding to double the financial allocation to groups in receipt of the Revenue for Community Buildings grant.

 

            Officers are seeking approval to make payments covering 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.

 

            The total cost of the grants allocation for 2025/26 is £4,847,382.39

 

·         Capacity Building £1,872,358.29

·         Revenue for Community Buildings £2,975,024.10

 

3.4        The list of organisations that receive funding is outlined in appendices 1 and 2. Members will note that awards in 24/25 included an uplift which DfC provided in their Letter of Offer, officials have advised that we should plan on the same budget for 25/26. This amount provided an additional £629 for each Revenue for Community Buildings grant recipient.

 

3.5        Council’s contribution to Capacity & Revenue Grant Programmes is 66% of the overall budget thus we can guarantee the first 50% payment. 

 

            Generalist Advice Funding

 

3.6        Members will be aware that Council provides funding for generalist advice provision to 5 Advice Consortia covering: Central, East, North, South and West Belfast.  The funding is allocated to the consortia using a funding model based on population and multiple deprivation indicators (2015). 

 

3.7        Council’s contribution to Generalist Advice is 37% of the total allocation. Members are asked to consider if they are content to approve the issue of Letters of Offer and 50% payment.

 

3.8        A further report will be presented to committee when we receive the Community Support Programme Letter of Offer from DfC. Members are asked to note that Council does not have any budget to support activity that is 100% funded through the CSP.

 

            Financial and Resource Implications

 

3.9        Members may wish to note that last year the allocation was as below. The council budget is the same for capacity and advice as 24/25; The council budget for revenue increased for 25/26.

 

Grant	CSP funding DfC	24/25 BCC Contribution	25/26 BCC Contribution	Total
Capacity	£  463,075.29	£1,409,283	£1,409,283.00	£ 1,872,358.29
Revenue	£   353,052.05	£1,134,469	£2,621,990.05	£ 2,975,024.10
Advice	£   667,959.58	£391,729	£391,729.00	£ 1,059,688.58
Total	£   1,484,086.92	£2,935,481	£4,423.002.05	£ 5,907,070.97

 

            Members will note that Council has the available budget to make a 50% payment to recipients of all three elements (Capacity, Revenue and Advice), however, should there be a reduction in DfC funding this would impact on the overall budget available to cover costs.

 

            Based on legal advice, Funding Agreements for 2025/26 Capacity Building and Revenue for Community Buildings Grants and Generalist Advice will contain a condition that the second payment may vary due to the level of funding received from DfC.

            Equality or Good Relations Implications/

            Rural Needs Assessment

 

3.10      Any reduction in the available budget has the potential to impact on service delivery which may have equality, good relations or rural needs implications for Belfast City Council.”

 

The Committee:

 

·         granted approval for officers to progress funding agreements for the Capacity Building, Revenue for Community Building Grants and Generalist Advice for the period 1st April 2025 to 31st March 2026 - with a 50% payment to be issued in advance upon the return of required paperwork, with a second payment to be made pending the return of a satisfactory interim monitoring report covering 1st April to 30th September, 2025 and available budget;

 

·         noted that the Council did not have a budget to support the Social Supermarket Fund, which was 100% funded through the Department for Communities’ Community Support Plan (CSP); 

 

·         noted that a separate paper on the Social Supermarket Fund would be provided as and when a CSP Letter of Offer had been received; and

 

·         approved the 2024/25 doubling of financial allocations of revenue for Community Buildings Grants to the organisations listed within the report for the 2025/26 financial year.