The remaining balance (£60,000) of the Community Grant Fund 2025/2026 will be vired to the Council’s Crisis and Resilience Fund.

The Community Grant Fund was established as a time-limited fund for the 2025/2026 financial year and is not intended to continue beyond this period. The amount of funding that remains is relatively small and would not be sufficient to meaningfully support additional capital or community projects in line with the original objectives of the fund. Delivering a further competitive grant round would create a disproportionate administrative burden when compared to the value of funding available for distribution. Transferring the remaining funds to the Crisis and Resilience Fund ensures that the resource can still be used effectively and deliver benefits to residents in a timely and proportionate way.

Consideration was given to undertaking a further grant round; however, this was rejected because the remaining funding is insufficient to support viable projects and the administrative effort required would outweigh the benefits of allocation. The option of leaving the funds unallocated was also considered and rejected on the basis that it would not represent good financial management or maximise benefit to the community. The preferred option of reallocating the funds to an alternative mechanism was adopted as it enables effective and timely use of the remaining budget.

Background papers:

Community Grant Fund Policy 2025/2026 – Cabinet 9 June 2025

Community Grant Fund 2025 – Funding Awards Tranche 1 – Cabinet 16 September 2025

This decision will be implemented immediately.

The Community Grant Fund for 2025/2026 has completed its primary funding rounds and a relatively low residual amount of funding remains unallocated. A decision was required on the most appropriate use of this remaining balance, taking into account the original purpose of the fund, value for money, and proportionality in administration.

In considering the original purpose of the fund, value for money, and proportionality in administration, it was determined that the remaining unallocated funding should be vired to the Crisis and Resilience Fund which seeks to support those in deprivation by providing:

Crisis Provision – a cash-first approach is recommended in the guidance, but vouchers, and goods in-kind may also be used.  Councils must adopt a person centred, needs based, trauma informed approach, with multiple application routes.  Crisis provision must act as a gateway to wraparound support.

Resilience Services – wraparound support which seeks to build financial resilience and address underlying causes of crisis. This includes advice, information, and advocacy around income maximisation, budgeting, debt management, and wider issues which may lead to financial hardship.

Community Coordination – strengthening local support networks and referral pathways to ensure that individuals access the right support which prevents, reduces, or delays the need for further statutory intervention.

Housing Payments – replaces Discretionary Housing Payments for Housing Benefit/Universal Credit housing cost claimants.

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