Issue details - The Future for Discretionary Grants

Brighton & Hove City Council’s (BHCC) Discretionary Grants Programme currently invests approx £1.6M pa in the city’s Third Sector (community groups, voluntary organisations & not-for-profit social enterprise).

Administered by the council’s Communities & Equality Team the programme supported over 200 organisations in 2010-11 and has already supported over 180 organisations in 2011-12.

Council has decided to meet its commitments in 2012-13 to 68 organisations currently funded in the third and final year of the current three year strategic grant cycle.

However council has yet to decide on the accompanying Annual Grants Programme 2012-13 nor continuance of the wider three year grant funding cycle for 2013-16.

With support of the cross-party Members Advisory Group on Grants (MAG) 22 November 2011 a report to Cabinet 19 January 2012 will recommend that a positive decision be made on both.

This report therefore requests comment from Overview & Scrutiny Committee 13 December 2011 on work undertaken so far and views on future plans.