[WiLT] London Councils Agrees Grant Budget

[WiL Admin]

London Councils Agrees Grant Budget
Londoners to benefit from new voluntary sector funding priorities

London's council leaders today (Tuesday 14th November 2006) agreed a
£28m funding programme to support the work of the capital's voluntary
sector.

Children living in poverty, the homeless and people with disabilities
will be among those to benefit from new priorities agreed by London
Councils for commissioning services from the capital's voluntary
groups.

Among the other schemes to be supported through the pan-London grants
budget include those providing support to children and young people in
crisis; giving people with disabilities the chance to participate in
sports; and improving the access to health and welfare rights advice
for people from Black Minority Ethnic Migrant and Refugee communities.

Projects preventing homelessness among young people; promoting
recycling; spreading the benefits of the 2012 Olympic Games across the
whole of London; and helping people needing legal or financial advice
will also be supported.

Victims of crime will also receive additional support as the budget
agreed today includes £3.5m for projects cutting crime and supporting
those affected by crime - an increase of more than 50 per cent from
last year.

The new funding priorities have been developed following an extensive
consultation with the voluntary sector, boroughs, the Mayor of London,
and people with an interest in London's voluntary sector.

London Councils will now use these priorities to commission services
from London's voluntary groups to ensure its grants provide the help
and support Londoners need wherever they are.

London Councils' Chairman Councillor Merrick Cockell said: "We
recognise the important role the voluntary sector plays in supporting
the needs of London's diverse communities.

"London is a large and complex city and the challenges faced by its
vast population are changing all the time. I believe our revised list
of priorities will go someway towards satisfying these new needs and
help Londoners in their efforts to improve their lives.

"Money from the council tax payers supports the London Councils' grant
scheme. The job of striking the right balance between the funds that
can be raised through council taxes while meeting the needs of
Londoners is a difficult one. I believe that we have achieved a good
balance of meeting London's evolving priorities whilst maintaining
effective levels of funding for the overall grants scheme. This will
ensure we can help the voluntary sector deliver effectively for
Londoners.

London Councils will also be providing support to organisations it
currently funds while commissioning is introduced. All groups
currently receiving grants will continue to be funded until 30 June
2007. In addition, those falling into the new priorities will receive
funding until London Councils starts to commission services in their
respective area.

1 A full list of London Councils funding priority areas is attached
(see below)

2 The £28 million grants budget includes £1.6 million European Social
Fund money. It also includes £1.4m which has been set aside for
specific second tier funding.

3 How the £3.5m ring fenced for projects cutting crime and supporting
the victims of crime across London will be spent will be discussed by
London Councils Crime and Public Protection Committee early next year.

4 The change in the way London Councils distributes its grants follows
the findings of an independently chaired Grants Review Board. This was
set up in 2004 to look at the distribution of the pan-London grants in
individual boroughs, sub regions and across the whole of London. It
also looked at areas of good practice from other funding bodies.

5 Its main recommendation was to use the pan-London grants fund to
commission services from the voluntary sector. This was adopted by
London's borough leaders in July 2005. A wide ranging consultation
exercise to determine the funding priorities for commissioning
services was launched in November 2005.

6 The list of funding priorities agreed today are taken from the 81
priority areas put forward as a result of that consultation, as well
as the views of London Council members.

7 London Councils will begin to commission its first tranche of
services in early 2007. A decision on which of groups will receive
funding to run the first of these services will be taken in the
spring.

8 London Councils was formerly known as the Association of London
Government. Our new name, effective from 1 October 2006, was chosen to
reflect more accurately our membership. We are committed to fighting
for more resources for London and getting the best possible deal for
London's 33 councils. We develop policy, lobby government and others,
and run a range of services designed to make life better for
Londoners.

Press Release 14th November 2006
http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/doc.asp?doc=18761&cat=933 - London
Councils, 591/2 Southwark Street, London SE1 0AL Tel 020 7934 9999
http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk

Download London Councils commissioning priorities
http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/upload/public/attachments/929/London%20Councils'%20commissioning%20service%20priorities.doc -
Document type: Microsoft word 87k

Posted on WiLT blog at
http://www.freecharity.org.uk/~womeninlondon/?p=180