Item 13 - Grants Programme 2017-21 Update Report (G12/17)

Summary    

At its meeting 8 February 2017 Grants Committee agreed funding to 13 commissions under the following two priorities:
Priority 1 Combatting Homelessness
Priority 2 Tackling Sexual and Domestic Violence
Commissions were agreed for the period 2017-21, subject to delivery, compliance to grant conditions and continued availability of resources. This followed an extensive Grants Review process which concluded in March 2016 and a robust application process. Both the Grants Review and application and award processes were in line with the Commissioning Performance Management Framework, of which the revised version was agreed by members of Grants Committee at their February 2017 meeting. 
At its meeting 6 July 2016 members of the Grants Committee agreed funding to six commissions under the following priority:
Priority 3 Tackling Poverty Through Employment. 
This Priority is half funded by boroughs’ contributions to the Grants Programme (£1m per year), matched by £1m  from London Councils European Social Fund (ESF) Programme under an agreement with the Greater London Authority (GLA) (the ESF timetable is not aligned with that of the Grants Programme).
This report provides members with an update on the three priorities of the Grants Programme. 
For Priority 1 and 2 this represents an update at the end of the first quarter. It provides and overview of the key themes that were raised in the Grants Review and how these have been implemented in the grant agreement process and first quarter’s delivery. Delivery information will not be available to this meeting, due to the timing of the meeting, and the first two quarters delivery will be presented to the November meeting of this Committee. 

Recommendations    

Members are asked to: 
1.    Note the update provided by officers on the process, including robust due diligence, for entering into grant agreement with Priority 1 and 2 providers as set out in section two.
2.    Acknowledge the pro-active work of providers under Priority 1, Combatting Homelessness, in arranging a launch event, which will take place on 4 October 2017 (invitations will be sent out to Grants Committee members in due course). Further details are provided in paragraph 4.12.
3.    Note the progress of Priority 3: Tackling Poverty through Unemployment, in section five.
4.    Endorse the approach outlined in section four to address the issues raised in the Grants Review during the grant agreement process. The process is in line with the Commissioning Performance Management Framework, agreed by members in February 2017and focuses on value for money, linking of priorities, pan-London delivery (covering differing issues faced by inner and outer London), borough engagement, robust outcomes and equalities implications. 
5.    Note the planned request to Leaders’ Committee, (following support from the Chair and Vice Chairs of Grants Committee) to administer £100,000 per year for two years on behalf of the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) to enhance training to front-line professionals on identifying harmful practices, as set out in section six. This reflects the strong relationship between London Councils and MOPAC, and supports the Grants Programme principles of non-duplication and complementary services. 

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