Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor Alderman Andrew Parmley, Karina Dostalova, Simon Duckworth, Stuart Fraser, Alderman Vincent Keaveny and Dhruv Patel.

There were no declarations.

To agree the minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 10^th January 2017.

RESOLVED – That the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 10 January 2017 be agreed as an accurate record.

Matters Arising

Eco Audit

The Chairman advised that the Energy Board, of which she was a Member and the Head of Town Clerk and Chief Executive’s Office was the Chairman, was well informed of the Trust’s eco audit and saw it as a model for the rest of Guildhall.

National Council of Voluntary Organisations

The Chairman advised that any Member who wanted to attend the NCVO conference on 20^th April 2017 should contact the Chief Grants Officer.

Report of the Town Clerk.

Members discussed and noted the Outstanding Actions table.

Report of the Chief Grants Officer.

The Committee received the regular progress report of the Chief Grants Officer and discussed the updates provided.

City Bridge Trust Website

Officers advised that the grant search tool on the website had been improved and could now search by borough. The improvements being made to the website sought to make the process as transparent as possible. It was hoped that the improvement would enable current grantees to see what being done in their area and make connections, potential applicants to see what similar things were funded, and Members to see if certain organisations were currently being funded. Members noted that feedback was welcomed.

Draft High-Level CBT Plan

The Chief Grants Officer advised that a new framework for corporate and business planning was being developed to ensure consistency of presentation across the organisation and a succinct statement of key ambitions and objectives for every department. In the initial phase, departments and CBT had been asked to produce a draft high-level departmental plan the template for which had been developed through consultation. It was noted that the format had not been finally determined and Members were invited to comment on the format of the high-level plan as well as the content.

Revised budget figures were also circulated as follows:

Our 2017/18 budget is:        

Stepping Stones Fund

In response to a query from the Chairman, officers advised that the proposal was for £5,000 of the existing budget (agreed at the previous meeting) to be used to fund a social investment intermediary organisation for purposes of pilot testing the invitation-only strand.

RESOLVED – That the new pilot element of the next Stepping Stones grants round be agreed and that

Report of the Chief Grants Officer.

The Chairman introduced the report, highlighting the importance of how this review would enable the Trust to perform its role at the centre of London. Extensive consultation had taken place and all eyes were on the Trust to see the result.

The Chief Grants Officer outlined the legal imperative to consult with stakeholders, but beyond that advised that it was good practice and beneficial to the Trust’s operation. He advised that, thanks to appropriate resourcing agreed by the Committee, a through and comprehensive review had taken place and he thanked Sufina Ahmad, Head of the Strategic Review, for her work. He emphasised that the strategy was still in draft form and officers were available for any further comments or feedback.

The Head of the Strategic Review outlined the draft strategy and Members discussed each section in turn:

Vision and Values

·         There was a need for all 3 sectors to work together.

·         There was a need to bridge the divide between the ‘have’s and ‘have not’s.

·         The Trust should use all its assets (e.g. networks; profile; experience) not just monetary ones.

·         The Vision and values were at the heart of the strategy and underpinned each part.

·         Early action was key – flexibility was needed to address this in whatever form required.

·         There was a mission to use all of the Trust’s knowledge – this should be mapped in some way.

·         The Trust should work with others that share its values and be vocal about advocating these.

How we Fund

·         Funder Plus in this strategy was much wider than currently in order to be more flexible with smaller or longer term grants.

·         The ‘Ideas fund’ allowed more flexibility for innovative approaches to new ideas or emerging needs which aligned with the vision and values but were not in an existing stream.

·         Longer

There were no questions.

There was no other business.

MOTION – That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

RESOLVED – That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

Item No.                                              Exempt Paragraphs

10                                                                   3

11 – 22                                                            -

To agree the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 10^th January 2017.

RESOLVED – That the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 10 January 2017 be agreed as an accurate record.

There were no questions.

A Member gave a report on a recent monitoring visit she had undertaken with the Chief Grants Officer.