| To approve the proposals / recommendations contained in the report without modification as set out below.
Having considered the Community Strategy, particularly where grants are authorised pursuant to S.2 Local Government Act 2000 in pursuance of the Council’s priorities:
(i) To approve the Council’s approach to supporting a vibrant and sustainable voluntary sector by approving the principle that a 2% inflationary grant award be made to voluntary organisations in 2008/09 and this will be applied consistently across Portfolios.
(ii) To approve a revised process for 3-year funding agreements and to approve delegated authority the Executive Director for Communities, Health and Care to make any further revisions the process and criteria and award 3-year finding agreements for 2008/09, following consultation with the Cabinet.
(iii) To approve the detailed grant recommendations set out in the following attached Schedules:
• Schedule 1: Grant recommendations for Children’s Portfolio and Adult Learning and Young Peoples Portfolio
• Schedule 2: Grant recommendations for Health, Adult Social Care and Communities Portfolio
• Schedule 3: Grant recommendations for Environment and Sustainability Portfolio and Planning and Transport Portfolio
• Schedule 4: Grant recommendations for Leisure and Neighbourhoods Portfolio
• Schedule 5: Grant recommendations for Homes and Housing Portfolio
(iv) To approve the following delegations to allocate grants reserve budgets throughout the year as detailed below:
• Community Centres Support Reserve to the Executive Director of Neighbourhoods;
• Connexions Reserve to the Executive Director of Children’s Services and Learning following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services;
• Special Needs Play Scheme to the Children’s Services and Learning Policy Co-ordinator;
• Youth Service Reserve to the Children’s Services and Learning Policy Co-ordinator;
• Community Environment Projects to the Environment Directorate Policy Co-ordintor;
• HN Trees for Life to the Environment Directorate Policy Co-ordintor;
• HN Tree Preservation Order Grants to the Environment Directorate Policy Co-ordintor;
• ET Unallocated budget to the Environment Directorate Policy Co-ordinator;
• Health, Adult Social Care and Communities Social Development Fund to the Communities, Health and Care Directorate Policy Co-ordinator;
• New Initiatives Fund to the Head of Communities and Regeneration;
• Leisure and Neighbourhoods General Reserve to the Head of Leisure and Culture;
(v) To use the New Initiatives Fund of £63,138 within the Health, Adult Social Care and Communities Portfolio to sustain 3 key anti-poverty initiatives in the city (Basics Bank, Dorcas and Removals) through an award of
• £45,000 to Southampton City and Region Action to Combat Hardship (SCRATCH)
• £9,500 to Southampton Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) for additional rental costs following the identification of Health and Safety Issues with their previous accommodation arrangements
• The remaining £8,638 to be allocated during 2008/09 following consultation with the Cabinet Member for the Health, Adult Social Care and Communities Portfolio.
(vi) To approve withdrawal from 2009/10 of New Initiatives funding to Southampton City and Region Action to Combat Hardship (SCRATCH) and Southampton Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) and the commencement of formal consultation with these organisations on this issue as these grants were one-off allocations to meet urgent needs.
(vii) To approve joint work by the Head of Property and Procurement and the Head of Communities and Regeneration to explore ways of working with the voluntary sector to prepare them to effectively tender for Council business.
(viii) To approve the allocation of the Health, Adult Social Care and Communities Portfolio’s ‘Anti-Poverty’ Reserve, of £11,081, to single high priority initiative in the city to Southampton Rape Crisis, to reflect the Cabinet’s priority to reduce crime and disorder and discontinue the ‘Anti-Poverty’ Reserve from 2008/09 as a separate reserve.
(ix) To approve delegated authority to Policy Co-ordinators for each Portfolio and to the Head of Communities and Regeneration for the Health, Adult Social Care and Communities Portfolio, following consultation with the relevant Cabinet Member, for decision making on any under spend or return of grant awards.
(x) To approve the revised process for 3-year funding agreements as detailed in Appendix 6 and to approve delegated authority to the Executive Director for Communities, Health and Care to award 3-year agreements for 2008/09, following consultation with the Cabinet.
(xi) To approve a review of advice provision in relation to immigration, nationality and race advice services by the Communities and Regeneration Division to ensure the current investment by the council is ‘fit for purpose’ in the current context of changing population profile and needs in the city. It is further recommended that any service changes and targets approved as a result of this review are reflected in 2008/09 grant conditions and targets for Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) and Southampton Advice and Representation Centre (SARC).
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