[WiLT] New services recommended for future ALG grant funding

[WiL Admin]

New services recommended for future ALG grant funding
ALG Press Release 6th September 2006

The Association of London Government's Grants Executive has (Tuesday)
made recommendations on which pan-London services it thinks the ALG
should prioritise as it looks at the future funding of the capital's
voluntary sector.

New areas recommended for funding include projects spreading the
benefits of the 2012 Olympic Games across the whole of London, and
projects promoting healthy eating and local heath care for young
people, people with disabilities and for people from Black, Asian and
minority ethnic groups.

Other areas recommended for support are those designed to tackle
homelessness, schemes that provide a route out of prostitution for men
and women and projects that help tackle domestic violence.

These recommendations will now be discussed at the ALG's Leaders'
Committee in October, where a final decision on the priority areas to
be commissioned by the ALG will be made.

ALG Leaders' Committee sets the budget and policy framework for the
grants programme, and will also look at the budgetary requirements
that follow from the final priorities that are agreed in October.

Chairman of the ALG's Grants Committee, Cllr Paul McCannah, said:

  "The voluntary sector plays an important role in supporting London's
diverse community, and we take our responsibility to support it very
seriously. We have a limited pot of money to allocate and have had to
make some tough choices. However, we have sought to ensure we are
recommending schemes giving people the chance of accessing job,
training and educational opportunities; reduce social exclusion and
poverty and promote equality. We are also recommending to the ALG
Leaders' Committee that we should be funding new areas like supporting
Childline to give support and advice to children in crisis across the
capital."

ALG Chairman, Cllr Merrick Cockell, said:

  "The Grants Executive has carefully and thoughtfully looked at 80
areas for potential funding and will be recommending their priorities
to ALG Leaders' Committee. We will be making the final decision on
what should be seen as priority areas when we meet in October. The
budget will be decided on the basis of London-wide priorities and I am
not expecting any major changes from recent spending levels. We want
to ensure that our funding more effectively delivers services for
London, and we will seek to work closely with the voluntary sector to
achieve this especially as we move towards commissioning."

Ends

Notes to editors

Leaders' Committee consists of the leaders of every London borough.

The budget for the ALG Grants Scheme must be approved by the ALG
Leaders' Committee. When Leaders' have considered the budget they will
recommend it for consideration by boroughs in their respective council
chambers.

Section 48(3) of the Local Government Act 1985 requires that at least
two-thirds of the constituent councils in Greater London must approve
the proposed budget. This means that when the Committee decides on an
overall level of expenditure it will recommend it to the London
boroughs and the City of London and at least 22 of them must pass
resolutions in their own councils to ratify. Once 22 constituent
councils have given their approval, the overall level of expenditure
and contributions to it are binding on all the constituent councils.

http://www.alg.gov.uk/doc.asp?doc=18176&cat=937

(For information - not part of press release - database of groups
currently funded by the ALG -
http://www.alg.gov.uk/grantsearchresults.asp?cat=1648)

Posted on WiLT blog at
http://www.freecharity.org.uk/~womeninlondon/?p=127