Agenda item

DECISION

1.    To note the Chief Executive agreed to receive £494,800 Community Champions Funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with MHCLG; and

2.    To delegate to the Assistant Director for Housing Wellbeing, spend of this funding in line with the associated community champions grant agreement; in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Communities and Portfolio Holder for Finance

Portfolio Holders and Officer

MG/MH

REASON FOR DECISION

The Portfolio Holder introduced a report, regarding the receipt of Community Champions Funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), which was to be allocated for the benefit of communities in Boston, to enhance, accelerate and target the Council’s efforts to improve health and wellbeing across the borough of Boston.

The Council had been one of fifty local authorities across the country invited to apply for funding through the MHCLG’s Community Champions Programme. This funding was available to help local areas to diversify, enhance and accelerate community engagement opportunities to best support communities identified as being disproportionately at risk from Covid-19.

The programme sought to enable local areas to accelerate, enhance and target community engagement opportunities in order to:

·         Increase trust and confidence in public health messaging;

·         Improve engagement and take up of messaging and initiatives;

·         Develop and build community insight and relationships; and

·         Develop a vital feedback mechanism to understand what worked, what did not and what could be done differently at a local and national level

Following an application via an expression of interest, the Council had been allocated a grant of £494,800. The funding would need to be committed by 31 March 2021. Delivery of activities could extend beyond 31 March 2021, with the expectation of all funded activities to have begun a reasonable level of implementation by 30 June 2021.

Due to the speed of the decision making process surrounding this award, MHCLG required formal consent from the Council to accept this offer and the Chief Executive was required to use urgency provisions contained within the Constitution.

The Portfolio Holder was delighted that the full amount of funding had been secured and this was due to the quick work of the team in submitting a good quality application within an extremely short turnaround.  He thanked the staff and the Council’s partners for their work. 

A Members’ briefing would be held in February on the Community Champions Funding regarding the purpose of the money allocated to Members.

Other Members echoed the Portfolio Holder’s appreciation and remarked on the continued success of officers in identifying opportunities to secure funding. This reflected the resources and resilience enabled by the Strategic Alliance with respect to capacity, expertise and the ability to fully liaise with partners and utilise diverse skills.

OTHER OPTIONS OR ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED

None – this funding will enable us to enhance, accelerate and target our efforts to improve health and wellbeing across Boston Borough.

RECORD OF ANY CONFLICT OF INTEREST

None.

RECORD OF ANY DISPENSATION GRANTED

None.