Agenda item

To receive a progress report of the Chief Grants Officer.

The Committee considered the regular progress report and events update of the Chief Grants Officer that highlighted the launch of the new grants programmes, Investing in Londoners.

The Chief Grants Officer presented the new brochure to Members that outlined the Investing in Londoners grants programmes. He advised additional copies would be made available and Members were asked to distribute these in the course of their contact with interested parties.

The Chief Grants Officer would be conducting visits to recipients of City Bridge Trust (CBT) grants every Friday, which Members were welcome to attend. He confirmed quarterly monitoring visit schedules would also be distributed to Members.

It was noted that several Members were planning to attend a lunchtime presentation on the Investing in Londoners grants criteria, given by the Chairman and Chief Grants Officer on the 7^th October. This event had arisen from discussion with the Assistant Town Clerk.

A Member noted that paragraphs 3.11 and 3.16 were for decision and in future it was agreed that matters for decision within the Chief Grants Officer’s Progress Report would be reflected in the report recommendations.

Members discussed the recent Freedom of the City received by Sir Bob Geldof, and it was advised that City Bridge Trust had not been involved in the nomination process and therefore no public relations around the event referred to CBT. The Chairman remarked that Sir Bob Geldof had referred to the charitable work of the City and had previously been unaware of the work of CBT.

RESOLVED – That,

a)    applicants would be under no obligation to monetise their social return on investment but would require evidence of both of a commitment and capacity to achieve and assess impact, as part of  the continued focus of the grant assessment work done by officers at the pre-Committee stage.