Issue - meetings

The Committee considered a previous decision they had made regarding this matter (minute 8 of the meeting held 20^th September 2020 refers): … “Resolved that an application be made to the Charity Commission to release the permanent endowment of the Sarah Anne Lees Charity for distribution via means of grants to local voluntary and community organisations who could demonstrate their activity met the charitable objects.”

The Director of Legal Services’ report advised that the Charitable Trust Committee had requested that the Council’s Legal Services Department make the appropriate application on behalf of this Charity to the Charity Commission for an appropriate consent or scheme to enable this Charity to establish a mechanism to enable community and voluntary organisations to bid for grants from this Charity, and through their bids to demonstrate how their project or activity meets the Charity’s objectives, how the funds would be used, how the activity would be sustained and how the impact of the activity would be evaluated.

Resolved:
that the Council’s Director of Legal Services be authorised to apply to the Charity Commission to facilitate the release of the permanent endowment of the Sarah Anne Lees Charity for distribution via means of grants to local voluntary and community organisations who could demonstrate that their activities meet with the charities stated objectives.

Consideration was given to a report of the Strategic Director of Communities and Reform which proposed that an application be made to the Charity Commission to release the permanent endowment of the Sarah Anne Lees Charity for distribution via means of grants to local voluntary and community organisations who could demonstrate their activity met the charitable objects.

The Committee noted the Charity’s capital asset, 146 Werneth Hall Road, had recently been sold with funds of £277,069.22 now held in the charitable trust account.

The objects of the Charity were to advance the education of the public by grant funding charities offering training and learning in the life skills necessary to manage financial hardship, social or economic deprivation, social exclusion or poor mental or physical health.

The Committee noted that the income from the investment of the funds at the current time was minimal and insufficient to achieve the charitable purposes.

There were more than 1,200 voluntary and community organisations in Oldham, a significant proportion of which undertook activity which would be aligned to the objects of the charity. Covid19 had presented a further challenge with regards the financial resilience and long term viability of those organisations due to reducing their ability to fundraise or generate income whilst demand for their services had increased.

The Committee was informed that more than half of organisations surveyed in Oldham during the crisis had concerns about their financial sustainability over the next 3-6 months. Although emergency funds had been made available nationally and locally, these were largely focused on crisis response, rather than maintaining vital core activities which continued to be needed more than ever.

This presented an opportune time to invest in the sector to deliver the objects of the Charity, which were clearly in line with the needs of communities at the current time. It was proposed that a mechanism was established to enable community and voluntary organisations to bid for grants, and through this bid to demonstrate how their project or activity met the charitable objectives, how the funds would be used, how the activity would be sustained and how the impact of the activity would be evaluated. A Panel would be convened to review bids and make recommendations for a final decision to award by the Charitable Trust Committee.

RESOLVED that an application be made to the Charity Commission to release the permanent endowment of the Sarah Anne Lees Charity for distribution via means of grants to local voluntary and community organisations who could demonstrate their activity met the charitable objects.