Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed the guests in attendance, including representatives from the Prince’s Trust, Hammersmith & Fulham Law Centre, Heart of the City and the Cabinet Office to the Committee. The Committee had trialled a ‘working lunch’ before the meeting, and had hosted a presentation from London’s Giving.

Apologies for absence were received from Karina Dostalova, Jeremy Mayhew and Chief Commoner Wendy Mead.

The Chairman and Edward Lord declared personal and non-prejudicial interests in Trust for London by virtue of being trustees.

The Chairman declared a non-prejudicial interest in Heart of the City by virtue of being on its Advisory Board.

Deputy the Revd. Stephen Haines declared a personal interest in CESI.

To agree the minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 31 January 2018.

The Committee noted that on page 3 under the heading Bridge House Estates task and finish group, the minute should read ‘and for the City of London Corporation to be the best possible trustee it could be’.

RESOLVED – That, pending the above correction, the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 31 January 2018 be agreed as an accurate record. 

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Committee received a list of outstanding actions. The Committee noted that the Bridge House Estates task and finish group meetings were ongoing, and that funding from the Bridge House Estates strategic review fund had been granted to support legal and financial work strands. The Committee noted that Members had been due to submit individual skills audits and committee self-effectiveness to the Town Clerk. Hard copies were provided at the meeting for Members to complete if they had not already done so. The Committee noted that officers had explored the Lord Mayor’s ex-officio membership of the Committee and were consulting with Mansion House on the matter.

The Committee noted that consultation with HM Prison Service about gaps in provision was underway, and that requested information on City of London Corporation funding granted to Spitalfields Music was provided in the Chief Grants Officer and Director of City Bridge Trust’s Progress Report.

RESOLVED – That the Outstanding Actions update be noted.

Report of the Chief Grants Officer (CGO) and Director of City Bridge Trust

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Grants Officer and Director of City Bridge Trust presenting the final high-level business plan for City Bridge Trust for 2018/19. The City Bridge Trust was guided by the City of London Corporation’s Corporate Plan and would align with it wherever feasible.  However, the Committee had overseen the development of the City Bridge Trust’s funding strategy and made recommendations to the Court of Common Council for approval. City Bridge Trust aimed to deliver the outcomes of Bridging Divides whilst aligning with the corporate strategy and impacting on corporate outcomes. The Committee noted that following a suggestion from a Member, ‘To use all our financial and non-financial assets, working collaboratively, to achieve our ambitions’ would be changed to an aim instead of an outcome.

In response to a query from a Member, the Chief Grants Officer and Director of City Bridge Trust told the Committee that a number of financial and non-financial methods would be employed to try to achieve the stated aim of reducing inequality and growing more cohesive communities, and that the City Bridge Trust would be working with its learning partner Renaisi to create measurable outcomes for the aims and objectives of the business plan. The Committee gave thanks to Scott Nixon, Head of Projects, for his work on the business plan.

RESOLVED: That, subject to amending the bullet point mentioned above from an outcome to an aim, the Committee approve the City Bridge Trust’s final high-level business plan for 2018/19.

Report of the Chief Grants Officer (CGO) and Director of City Bridge Trust

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

Youth Providers’ Event – Collaboration and Leadership

The Chief Grants Officer and Director of City Bridge Trust told the Committee that the event had been held at Mansion House on 15 January, to further encourage organisations in the youth sector to collaborate, and to facilitate more communication between organisations, particularly between larger and smaller organisations. Officers had received positive feedback about the event which had since prompted a meeting between two key organisations to discuss how they would work more effectively together in the future.

Charities and Safeguarding

The Committee noted that the Charity Commission had recently reissued its guidance on safeguarding. The Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF) had held a half-day seminar last month for funders. Officers would liaise with the ACF, other funders and the Director of Community and Children’s Services to review the City Bridge Trust’s practices and would report back to the Committee. Members suggested looking at what charities were already doing for anything that could be used, and that the City Bridge Trust could be approached by anyone who had concerns about a charity that it was funding.

Member training

The Chairman told the Committee that training for Committee Members on the Bridging Divides strategy was being arranged, and it was suggested that the training be combined with a Committee meeting, possibly with a later starting time to accommodate a training session and lunch.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

Report of the Chief Grants Officer (CGO) and Director of City Bridge Trust

The Committee received a summary of applications received and action taken under the grants programmes this financial year, including those recommended for decision to this meeting. The Committee was on course to allocate all of its grants budget for the financial year across all programmes. The Committee noted a formatting error on page 32, where the distribution of grant funding allocated across Committee meetings during the year did not show the percentage of the total allocated at each meeting in numerical form. The Committee noted that there would be a review of the Investing in Londoners programme at a future meeting.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider the Chief Grants Officer’s reports on grant recommendations as follows:-

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Grants Officer and Director of City Bridge Trust requesting funding to continue the current partnership with Buttle UK for a further year from April 2018, following two previous grants approved by the Committee and the Court of Common Council respectively. The grants had enabled Buttle UK, through the Anchor Project, to provide a holistic package of support for families affected by domestic violence using a child-centred approach.

RESOLVED – That the City Bridge Committee approve a grant of £324,697 over one year for the continuation of the Anchor Project supporting families in London who have experienced domestic abuse to resettle.

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Grants Officer and Director of City Bridge Trust, recommending financial support for Heart of the City throughout the five-year period of Bridging Divides as a key partner with a unique offer to support effective delivery of the strategy. The Trust had a long and important relationship with Heart of the City and the proposal would directly contribute to several areas of the trust’s work implementing the Bridging Divides strategy.

Since 2015 HotC had expanded its model and achieved membership across 16 London Boroughs. The charity now wanted to focus on developing localised clusters of contributors and local authority leadership, and was piloting a project with Westminster City Council which could eventually help the charity become self-sustaining. The charity’s work would also help the development of City Bridge Trust’s Funder Plus offer under Bridging Divides.

A Member expressed concern about the size and nature of the grant, suggesting that there was a risk that the charity may become too reliant on the Trust’s funding. The Chief Grants Officer and Director of City Bridge Trust responded that it was key for charities to find models that helped them to become sustainable. Heart of the City was hosted in the City of London and had in the past been ignored by other funders because of the perception of its relationship with the City of London Corporation. Heart of the City would link in with the City Bridge Trust and would be a valuable strategic partner for the Bridging Divides strategy.

The Chairman said that Heart of the City had been an exceptional partner for the City Bridge Trust, but it was important for Members to scrutinise grants of this scale, and the application had been questioned and considered on its merits.  The Committee noted that

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Grants Officer and Director of City Bridge Trust seeking approval to extend the current financial support given for the operation and development of Young People’s Foundations across three London Boroughs, and fund the establishment of Young People’s Foundations in a further three Boroughs. It was proposed to route the grant funding through the John Lyon’s Charity, who would match the grant approved by City Bridge Trust.

RESOLVED – That the City Bridge Trust Committee approve a grant of £300,000 to the John Lyon’s Charity to co-fund the salary and running costs of the Young People’s Foundations in each of the boroughs of Brent, Harrow, Barnet, Westminster, Camden and Hammersmith & Fulham, with £50,000 to each.

The Committee noted that the application was to be considered in the non-public section.

The Chief Grants Officer and Director of City Bridge Trust told the Committee that a Member had brought additional information to the attention of officers. It was proposed to agree the grant in principle, subject to resolving the issue raised.

APPROVED £90,000 over three years (3 x £30,000) towards the salaries of the Grassroots Manager (equivalent of 1.5 dpw) and Grassroots Intern (equivalent of 1.5 dpw), associated project costs of the term-time ESOL classes (up to Entry level 3) and a contribution to core costs, subject to satisfactory completion of due diligence by officers

APPROVED £120,000 over three years (3 x £40,000) for the NoLimitz PT therapist (3.5 dpw) and associated project costs, conditional on quarterly management accounts to be provided for 2018/19.

APPROVED £60,000 for a third and final year’s funding of a f/t Brain Injury Specialist and related running costs of a brain injury service in London.

APPROVED £117,000 over three years (£38,000, £39,000, £40,000) for the full-time DSActive Sports Officer (London) and associated project costs.

The Committee noted that the amount recommended for approval was significantly less than the amount originally requested. The amount recommended was funding for areas sufficiently related to disability needs.

APPROVED £22,500 towards internal access improvement works to include accessible toilet and shower (£14,850), access signage (£1,900), entrance buttons and bells (£1,950) and door ironmongery (£3,800).

A Member queried whether the National Union of Students (NUS) provided a service similar to that proposed to the charity, and whether the charity had any connection to the NUS. A Member also queried if the proposal targeted the right areas in accordance with City Bridge Trust strategy. A Member told the Committee that having researched the charity online, employer review website Glassdoor detailed 18 complaints about the charity which included allegations of bullying and harassment within the organisation.

The Chief Grants Officer and Director of City Bridge Trust responded to Member queries. Officers were not aware of any specific provision of this nature offered by the NUS, and there was nothing in the City Bridge Trust’s guidance to exclude students as a group. There was a higher prevalence of mental ill-health amongst university students due to increased access to university in recent years. Any complaints about the charity would need to be investigated, but it was important to be cautious about information found on the internet.

The Committee noted that there was no reference to NUS funding in the charity’s grant application form. A Member added that the NUS was a confederate body which did not directly provide services at local level. While some constituent members may provide health and welfare services it would not be done nationally, as it was not within their remit.

Members discussed including a section on reputational risk in assessment reports. A Member said that it would be dangerous to start including unverified information from the internet in reports, and that officer due diligence to any serious allegations in order to flag serious problems would be satisfactory. A Member added that other charities would be likely to share information if they had it.

The Chief Grants Officer and Director of City Bridge Trust told

APPROVED £154,000 over 3 years (£78,000, £55,500, £20,000) for 50% of the f/t Programme Development Manager in years 1 and 2 and towards the running costs of the ‘Amaze’ programme supporting 105 young people aged 16-25 with complex sensory and communication needs to transition towards adulthood. The grant in years 2 and 3 is confidential on sufficient funds being raised to make the initiative viable.

APPROVED £69,600 (£24,000; £22,700; £22,700) for the salary costs of a p/t Project Coordinator (3 dpw), and running costs of healthy-living workshops, yoga, jogging, volunteer training and expenses, excursions and a 10% contribution to core costs.

APPROVED £120,700 to allow the Royal Hospital Chelsea to purchase GPS tracking pendants and aerial masts.

APPROVED £75,500 over two years (£37,200; £38,300) for a full-time Project Coordinator and support costs to establish a new one-to-one service for socially isolated carers. The funds to be restricted for work with those who have ongoing care responsibilities.

APPROVED £90,000 over three years (3 x £30,000) towards the FTE salary of a Destitution Coordinator.

APPROVED £158,500 over 3 years (£51,900; £51,100; £55,500) for 0.8fte equivalent Specialist Adviser post; community engagement and evaluation costs as well as a contribution to organisational overheads.

The Committee noted that the amount recommended for approval was significantly less than the amount originally requested, as the recommendation was to award one year of funding rather than three, with any potential continuation funding request be assessed in the context of Deptford Reach’s progress and circumstances at that time.

APPROVED £31,000 for one year towards the salary and on costs of the full-time Crisis Intervention Advice Worker.

APPROVED £183,600 over 3 years (£59,400, £61,200, £63,000) for a f/t solicitor and contribution to organisational overheads to develop an Anti Child Poverty Unit with funding released on receipt of satisfactory quarterly management accounts until the organisation returns to a position of positive free reserves.

APPROVED £70,000 over three years (£22,500; £23,000; £24,500) towards the salary costs of a 0.5FTE Advice and Development Worker and associated running costs.

Following a query from a Member, the Committee was assured that the proposal was for a service that assisted the most disadvantaged of unrepresented taxpayers to help with issues such as incorrect tax codes, and could not be used for tax avoidance schemes.

APPROVED £58,000 (2 x £29,000) for running costs to extend TaxAid UK’s London Advice service by 12 hours per week for 2 years

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Grants Officer and Director of City Bridge Trust concerning the progress to date at the three-year mark of the 10-year strategic grant to the Prince’s Trust, and seeking approval for the commitment of the next allocation of funding.

The report outlined delivery in the first three years of the strategic grant and plans for the next three years. The grant funding had supported over five thousand young people so far, and enabled the Prince’s Trust to launch their London Growth Plan, a five-year strategy which would double their reach in London. The Prince’s Trust were finding new ways of working under their new leadership, which had been in place for six months.

The Committee noted that the Chairman, Deputy Chairman and Chief Grants Officer had met with the Prince’s Trust as part of the strategic advisory group before the meeting, and had reviewed the first three years delivery and the next three years. The meeting had been very positive. The Chairman added that the Prince’s Trust was the City Bridge Trust’s biggest partnership and had been very fruitful so far.

The Committee noted that the next allocation of £3million would be from this financial year’s City Bridge Trust budget. The Prince’s Trust liaison officer will be presenting to the Committee at a future date on the work of the Prince’s Trust (possibly September or October 2018).

RESOLVED – That the City Bridge Trust Committee:

a)    Note the report;

b)    Agree that satisfactory results have been achieved by PT in the first three years of this strategic initiative;

c)    Agree the outline of planned activities for the next three-year period, with the agreement of the detail to be delegated to the Town Clerk in consultation with the Chairman, Deputy Chairman and Chief Grants

The Committee received a report of the Chief Grants Officers and Director of City Bridge Trust detailing 17 grant applications or Eco-Audit requests that were recommended for rejection.

The Committee noted that the application from the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, having been deferred from the previous meeting following a Member’s query, had been discussed and given further consideration.

RESOLVED – That the Committee reject the grant applications detailed in the accompanying schedule.

The Committee received a report of the Chief Grants Officer which advised Members of fifteen expenditure items, totalling £306,890, which had been presented for approval under delegated authority to the Chief Grants Officer in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman.

RESOLVED – That the report be received, and its contents noted.

The Committee received a report of the Chief Grants Officer which provided details of thirteenapplications which had been withdrawn or had lapsed.

RESOLVED – That the report be received, and its contents noted.

The Committee received a report of the Chief Grants Officer which advised Members of a variation tofour grants agreed by the Chief Grants Officer since the last meeting. The Committee noted that a ‘clean-up’ of grants with balances outstanding had amounted to a total of funds written back or revoked of £88,965.

RESOLVED – That the report be received, and its contents noted.

The Committee received a report of the Chief Grants Officer about two visits that had taken place.

RESOLVED – That the report be received, and its contents noted.

The Committee received a report of the Chief Grants Officer and Director of City Bridge Trust updating on the communications work of the City Bridge Trust. The Committee noted a printing error that had led to some pages in the agenda being duplicated. The Chairman informed the Committee that she and the Deputy Chairman had been present at the London Borough of Culture announcement and a picture of them with the Mayor of London had gone viral on social media.

The Chief Grants Officer and Director of City Bridge Trust informed the Committee about the communications and media plans for launching Bridging Divides. Officers had developed a strategy to identify and engage with key audiences. The strategy included updating the website, new leaflets and press releases, and would aim for a wide spread in the media. Members were invited to look at the plans and share any feedback they had with officers.

The Committee noted that the Chairman would be speaking as part of a panel at the next All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for London meeting. This would be attended by City Bridge Trust partners and London MPs and would be a good opportunity to promote Bridging Divides. Work was also ongoing with the GLA.

RESOLVED – That the report be received, and its contents noted.

A Member asked if the City Bridge Trust should support the approach of some local authorities in adopting a plan against segregation between community groups, noting that the London Borough of Newham were no longer awarding funding to bodies that target or comprise single ethnic or religious groups.

The Chief Grants Officer and Director of City Bridge Trust responded that some communities were particularly marginalised, and the City Bridge Trust wanted to encourage confidence in those communities. Whilst it was not a stipulation, the assessment process was vigilant in preventing ‘silo’ working. Grant funding was used to encourage integration and a lot of work had been done to support integration projects. It was important to be sensitive to the needs of community groups and build bridges between them simultaneously.

The Chairman added that applications had been rejected on these grounds in the past after relevant concerns had been raised. The Committee noted that the application for Help Somalia Foundation considered earlier included integration amongst its stated objectives.

There was no other business.

The Chairman offered a vote of thanks to Deputy the Revd Stephen Haines, who was attending his last meeting as a Committee Member. The Committee gave thanks to Deputy the Revd Stephen Haines for his contributions to the Committee during his term as a Member.

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

13 - 17                                                             3

18 - 19                                                             -

20                                                                   3

To agree the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 31 January 2018.

The Committee considered the non-public minutes of the previous meeting.

Report of the Chief Grants Officer (CGO) and Director of City Bridge Trust

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Grants Officer and Director of City Bridge Trust.

Report of the Chief Grants Officer (CGO) and Director of City Bridge Trust

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Grants Officer and Director of City Bridge Trust.

Report of the Chief Grants Officer (CGO) and Director of City Bridge Trust

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Grants Officer and Director of City Bridge Trust.

Report of the Chief Grants Officer (CGO) and Director of City Bridge Trust

The Committee received a report of the Chief Grants Officer and Director of City Bridge Trust.

There were no non-public questions.

There was no other business.

To agree the confidential minutes of the meeting held on 31 January 2018.

The Committee considered the confidential minutes of the meeting on 31 January 2018.