Agenda item

The Cabinet gave consideration of a report of the Assistant Director for Youth, Leisure and Communities which sought approval to allocate grant funding from the Priority Programme Fund (PPF), renewing all grants for one year (22/23) and extending the grant to Action Together CIO for three years to enable them to provide voluntary sector infrastructure support, including intensive and specialist organisational development, in Oldham for three years 2022-25.

The Council had for a number of years, funded a range of voluntary, community and faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector organisations through its Priority Programme Fund (PPF). For the past three years, the CCG have also made a £50,000 contribution to this fund, to mitigate the impact of the 10% saving applied to this budget in 2019/20. The fund has had three main strands, alongside supporting a small number of community events:

·           Voluntary Sector Infrastructure

·           Community Centres and Organisations

·           Legal and Advice Services

Voluntary Sector Infrastructure

Action Together provided the voluntary sector infrastructure support in Oldham and also provided VCFSE infrastructure support in both Tameside and Rochdale. They also play a prominent role in the leadership of the sector at a Greater Manchester level through 10GM and the GM VCFSE Leadership Group which champions the role of communities in devolution. Action Together having an influential voice within these forums enables Oldham’s co-operative ambition to influence across the GM city region.

Community Centres and Organisations

Oldham Credit Union, Werneth and Freehold Community Development Project and Greenacres Community Centre, Oldham Interfaith Forum,

Legal and Advice Oldham

Citizens Advice Oldham

The total grant awards that were recommended to the Cabinet were:

Options/alternatives considered

Option 1 – Decommissioning, this was not a viable option because there would be a loss of support and infrastructure to the VCSFE sector in Oldham

Option 2 – Renew all grant agreements for one year. This option would reduce the ability od Action Together to plan resources strategically over the medium term

Option 3 – Renew the infrastructure Grant Agreement for 3 years 2022-2025 and all other grants for one year 2022-2023 and undertake a full VCSFE review.

RESOLVED – That

1.    The VCFSE infrastructure grant to Action Together be renewed for a period of three years (2022-25).

2.    The remaining grants awarded through the Priority Programme Fund be renewed for one year (22/23)

3.    COMF funding was allocated to ensure that there was sufficient budget to enable all grants to continue at the level previously funded (21/22) and avoid grant reductions at a time when all of the organisations funded make a significant contribution to supporting Covid19 response and recovery

4.    A full review of VCFSE sector commissioning is undertaken, which included the Priority Programme Fund grants within this wider context and gave consideration to the appropriate value and term of any future agreements.