Agenda item

Report of the Chief Grants Officer.

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Grants Officer which provided an update of the work completed for the Strategic Review from February 2017, a finalised version of the strategy (called “Bridging Divides”) for approval, and details on proposed next steps in terms of recommending the agreed final strategy to Court in July 2017.

The Chief Grants Officer thanked the Committee for their commitment to developing this Strategy, and to Sufina Ahmad for her work in putting this Strategy together and the level of engagement she had secured throughout the process. He advised that, across the Corporation and its related charities there was approximately £53M a year of charitable giving of which £20M comes through the City Bridge Trust. He confirmed that it was the entire Corporation’s responsibility to ensure that this giving was as effective as it could be. A crucial part of this was being clear in what we want to achieve and being aware of our respective strengths so that we can work together to be more than the sum of our parts. Members noted that this strategy reflected that, and was about the total asset approach rather than capital alone. The Chief Grants Officer was happy that this Strategy aligned with the timing of the City of London Corporation considering its own strategy as it presented an excellent opportunity to build on the work being done to break down silos and co-ordinate all the City Corporation’s efforts.

Head of Strategic Review Sufina Ahmad thanked David for his introduction and thanked the Committee for their continued input and engagement throughout the development of the Strategy, and advised that the details of how this strategy would be implemented will be designed in the next 6-9 months in partnership with Members.  Sufina advised that “Bridging Divides” set out a clear strategic direction for the Trust from 2018 to 2023 in terms of its priorities and the kind of funder it will need to be, and was ultimately anchored in and led by its vision and values:

1.    Inclusion and representation – this challenges us and empowers us to think about how we remove barriers that groups that experience higher levels of deprivation or exclusion face in working with us.

2.    Care for the environment – this ensures that we continue to encourage environmental education throughout our networks.

3.    Early action – this allows us to fund at the acute end of need, whilst also continuing to be a strong advocate for creating a society that acts earlier to tackle root causes and invest in potential.

4.    Collaborative working with Londoners, communities and all sectors – this means that we remain committed to working together with partners from across the voluntary and community sector and the private and statutory sectors, in London and beyond, to support the development of new and existing approaches.

5.    To be adaptive, creative and purposeful

Bridging Divides had five different priorities with the intention broadly summarised as funding work across a bridge of need and potential, that begins where individuals and communities are ‘surviving’ and ends when they are ‘thriving’.  The five funding priorities were summarised as:

1.    Connecting the capital – funding for activities in geographical communities in London that are important to communities; helps them to (re)build community assets and, in some cases, back projects that could result in positively and dramatically changing the prospects of a community long-term. 

2.    Reducing inequalities – which will seek to tackle inequalities linked to matters such as race, gender, and social mobility. 

3.    Positive transitions – which will aim to empower Londoners experiencing inequalities to make transitions in their lives that are important to them.

4.    Advice and support – this will aim to offer funding that can act as a safety net for individuals and communities given the ever increasing cost of living in London.

5.    Every voice counts - This funding priority presents an opportunity to challenge the root causes for the divides that we have identified in this strategy, and considers the ways in which we can make London a city where everyone can thrive.

Members discussed the strategy, debating some of the wording regarding “Reducing Inequalities”, the lack of explicit reference to the LGBT community, and the terms used to describe different groups (i.e. ‘Disabled People’). Officers confirmed that an independent officer had been commissioned to check the strategy and ensure the language used appropriately represented the group it described, and officers confirmed that the omission of specific references to LGBT groups was an error and would be rectified. With regard to “Reducing Inequalities”, Members agreed that the current wording was appropriate and was underpinned by specific and meaningful detail regarding implementation.

RESOLVED – That:

a)    authority be delegated to the Town Clerk in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman to agree the minor changes as suggested at this meeting and any others that arise to refine the strategy before it is presented to the Court of Common Council in July 2017; and

b)    the updated strategy be circulated to Committee Members electronically before its final submission to the Court of Common Council.