Recommendations
The Leaders’ Committee is asked to agree:
• an overall level of expenditure of £10 million for the Grants Scheme in 2016/17 (inclusive of £2 million gross ESF programme), a reduction of £500,000 on the current year;
• that taking into account the application of £1 million ESF grant, borough contributions for 2016/17 should be £9 million;
• that, in addition and for 2016/17 only, a proposed transfer from Grants Committee reserves of £486,000 be made and returned to boroughs in the form of a one-off repayment;
• that further to the recommendations above, constituent councils be informed of the Committee's recommendation and be reminded that further to the Order issued by the Secretary of State for the Environment under Section 48 (4A) of the Local Government Act 1985, if the constituent councils have not reached agreement by the two-thirds majority specified before 1 February 2016 they shall be deemed to have approved expenditure of an amount equal to the amount approved for the preceding financial year (i.e. £10.5 million);
• that constituent councils be advised that the apportionment of contributions for 2016/17 will be based on the ONS mid-year population estimates for June 2014 and that this methodology will also apply to the proposed one-off repayment of £486,000 for 2016/17; and
• that subject to the approval of an overall level of expenditure, the Committee agrees to set aside a provision of £555,000 for costs incurred by London Councils in providing staff and other support services to ensure delivery of the Committee’s “making of grants” responsibilities, including ESF administration of £120,000.