Recommendations
The Leaders’ Committee is asked to agree:
• an overall level of expenditure of £8.668 million for the Grants Scheme in 2017/18 (inclusive of £2 million gross ESF programme);
• that taking into account the application of £1 million ESF grant, borough contributions for 2016/17 should be £7.668 million;
• that, in addition and for 2016/17 only, a proposed transfer from Grants Committee reserves of £156,000 be made and returned to boroughs; £56,852 of which will be returned to 12 boroughs in the form of a repayment, with a sum of £99,148 in respect of 21 boroughs participating in the non-S.48 ESF programme being transferred to the Joint Committee to fund the administration of the scheme;
• that a further sum of £75,000 be transferred from uncommitted S.48 reserves to fund a post to work with the City Bridge Trust to provide leadership and infrastructure support to the third sector;
• 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 2017 they shall be deemed to have approved expenditure of an amount equal to the amount approved for the preceding financial year (i.e. £10 million);
• that constituent councils be advised that the apportionment of contributions for 2017/18 will be based on the ONS mid-year population estimates for June 2015 and that this methodology will also apply to the proposed repayment of £156,000 for 2017/18; 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.