Agenda of Central Community Funding Panel

Community Funding Panels Delegations, Guidelines and Criteria 2020-2023

Membership: 7

5 community representatives, 1 Ward Councillor and a city-wide Councillor, with Alternate city-wide Councillors appointed to attend Community Funding Panel meetings as required or in the absence of the sitting city-wide Councillor.

Quorum: 4 (to include a City Councillor)

Meeting Cycle: When required

Reports to: Community and Environment Committee (yearly)

This document records functions and responsibilities of Community Funding Panels (‘the Panels’).

Purpose

The role of the Panels is that of community funders focused on supporting local projects and initiatives in their communities.

Function

· Allocate and manage a Local Community Projects Fund.

· Allocate and manage the local Community Engagement Fund for the Central, Eastern, Northern and Western Wards to assist and support local community events and initiatives. L

Guidelines and criteria for Local Community Projects Funds:

· To be used to fund one or more local community projects per triennium.

· Projects are to develop community assets that are not able to be funded in Council’s Long Term Plan and/or Annual Plan.

· Community assets include, but are not limited to, playgrounds, street furniture, public art, tree planting, lighting, safety improvements, way finding, signage, improvements to existing public places and facilities. These community assets should be in public spaces.

· The development of new assets needs to be in accordance with Council strategies, policies and plans.

· Where on-going maintenance and or other costs are required after completion, these need to be provided for. This may be by way of formal agreement with the relevant division of Council.

· Approval of spending must be by resolution of the Panels.

· A report must be submitted, at the end of each financial year, to the Community and Environment Committee, detailing expenditure over the year.

Criteria for the panels to manage the Local Community Projects Fund:

· See attached Appendix 1 for the internal process that must be followed to ensure appropriate officers receive information on projects and can provide feedback.

· Projects must be supported by officers if there are on-going maintenance or other costs post completion.

· Each Panel will agree and determine a process for determining how projects will be identified and how funding decisions will be made.

Criteria for the panels to manage the Community Engagement Fund

· The fund is for local activities and events that directly benefit the communities concerned.

· To be eligible for funding the organisation must be a charitable trust or an incorporated society and the activity must take place within the Hutt.

· Panels may choose to allocate the entire fund in one funding round or they can have two funding rounds per annum. An appropriate assessment sheet is used by members when determining which organisation(s) should receive funding.

· The funds can be used towards the hire of equipment, advertising costs, purchasing food for a specific event. Operational costs cannot be applied for.

· Council’s Community Funding Advisor is available to support and assist community groups when making applications through the Council’s online grants system.

Standing orders:

Hutt City Council’s Standing Orders apply, subject to the provisions for meeting quorum and decision making required to allocate and manage the Local Community Projects Fund and Community Engagement Fund.

Informal meetings and administration:

· Where funding decisions are not being made, the Panels are encouraged to meet informally.

· Council’s Democratic Services Division will support each Panel by way of formal meeting administration, co-ordination and governance advice.

· A senior member of Council’s staff will support each Panel.

CHAIRS

Chairs will be recommended to Council, following establishment of the Panels, for an initial period, following which the Panel will elect its Chair for the remainder of the triennium. It is preferred that Councillors are not Chairs, although this is possible should no other panel member be able to commit to the role.

· Organisations that are granted funding are responsible for completing an accountability form to report on the funds spent.

Appendix 1 - Checklist for Local Community Projects Fund

Attach project description/application to this checklist and email to relevant Manager(s).

Council Managers to complete:

1. Do you support this project? Yes or No (please circle)

2. Do you have any initial concerns with this project?

3. What needs to be taken into account when the panel is considering this project for funding? (bylaws, consents):

4. Do you deem this to be a new asset? Yes or No (please circle)

If yes, does it align with Council’s strategic, policies or plans?

If no, why not?

5. Is there budget set aside for this project? Yes or No (please circle)

If yes, please state what year this funding will be made available:

Can you liaise with this group in your planning stages of this project, for their input
Yes or No (please circle)

If no, why not?

6. Can this project be funded through Council’s Long Term Plan? Yes or No (please circle)

If no, why not:

7. Will there be a maintenance budget, or other costs post completion, that need to be factored into this project? Yes or No (please circle)

If yes, please advise the amount required:

1 15 June 2022

Central Community Funding Panel

03 June 2022

File: (22/1351)

Report no: CCFP2022/3/113

Local Community Projects Fund

Purpose of Report

1. To advise the Community Funding Panel (the Panel) on options approved by Council for the distribution of the Local Community Projects fund (the LCP fund) 2019-2022.

Recommendations

That the Community Funding Panel:

(1) determines which option it will advance:

(a) Option 1

i. continue to work through the existing Local Community Projects Fund process with officials until the extended deadline of
31 March 2023;

ii. determine a priority order for projects, noting that each Division of Council will work on one project per Panel at a time; or

(b) Option 2 - distribute all or part of the remaining funds through a contestable process to community groups (Charitable Trusts including marae, churches, sports groups and schools within the relevant wards); or

(2) notes that for options 2 and 3, each Community Funding Panel will determine the amount to be allocated to the contestable fund and make decisions on who receives grants; and

(3) notes that any remaining 2019-2022 unallocated funds may be either:

(a) carried over to future Panels; or

(b) tagged to an existing Council workstream for use in future years to benefit the Ward it was intended for.

For the reason that this will enable more of the Local Community Projects Fund to be allocated the Community Funding Panels for its intended purpose.

Background

2. The Panels are funded $114K per triennium. This is a non-contestable fund and is for the purpose of funding community assets. The current guidelines and criteria for the LCP Fund can be found on Council’s website: https://www.huttcity.govt.nz/people-and-communities/community-funding/local-community-projects-fund

3. Currently all potential projects need to have a checklist completed by the relevant Council division where the proposed asset would eventually belong to/be maintained to ensure strategic alignment and future affordability. Once this has been completed, officers then make a recommendation to Council’s Corporate Leadership Team to endorse. Once the Panel has formally agreed to supporting the project, the project is added to the work programme of that Council division to manage.

4. Council’s Parks and Reserves team plays a key role in the LCP Fund process in terms of investigating and providing advice on potential assets/projects and then delivery of approved projects. It has been challenging at times to prioritise this against other Council projects. Additionally, some Panels spend more time developing ideas for projects, and they are only put forward late in the triennium, leaving limited time to deliver.

5. Our Parks and Reserves team has faced particular challenges this year relating to resources and the impacts of COVID, and as such they have needed to prioritise their work programme.

6. The Panel Chairs were advised in early February 2022 that no new projects would be assessed by officers until the situation with the Omicron outbreak improved, and the LCP Fund was effectively put on hold.

7. Chairs have raised concerns about this delay given it is only seven months until the end of the triennium, and officers have met with them to discuss possible solutions, which have been put to Council.

8. Under the LCP Fund there are currently unallocated funds totalling $438k made up of each Panel’s currently unspent budget. Only the unallocated funds have the option to become a contestable fund as follows:

Community Funding Panel	Amount Unallocated
Central	$209K
Eastern	$114K
Northern	$71K
Western	$44K

Discussion

9. At a Council meeting held on 24 May 2022, following a recommended item from the Communities Committee meeting held on 27 April 2022, the following was resolved:

Resolved: (Deputy Mayor Lewis/Cr Dyer) Minute No. C 22201(3)

“That Council:

(1) agrees to extend the term of the current Community Funding Panels until
31 March 2023, for the purpose of decision-making on the Local Community Projects Fund;

(2) agrees to change the criteria for the Local Community Projects Fund to enable an alternate method of distribution in this triennium;

(3) asks officers to continue to work with the current Community Funding Panels to confirm and deliver as many of the proposed projects as possible;

(4) agrees that any remaining 2019-2022 funds may be carried over to the future Community Funding Panels; and

(5) extends its thanks to the Community Funding Panels for their work to date.”

Extending the term of Panels

10. Extending the term of the Panel members to 31 March 2023 would enable more projects to be progressed and/or delivered. At that point in time, projects that have been approved by the Panel but have not yet been delivered, will remain on the work programme and be delivered in future years.

11. This extension should not prohibit, or overlap with, the possible establishment of new Panels for the 2022-2025 triennium, and the existing Panels would not be involved in decisions on the Community Engagement Fund 2022/2023. There would be no additional honorarium paid to Panel members as this has not been budgeted for.

Additional method for distribution of funds

12. The Panels now also have the option to distribute unallocated funds during this triennium to a community group (Charitable Trusts including marae, churches, sports groups and schools within the relevant wards) through a one-off contestable fund.

13. Council officers have proposed that the one-off contestable LCP fund would open for applications on Monday 20 June 2022 and close on Monday 18 July 2022. They would engage with Council’s Communications and Engagement team to ensure appropriate exposure of the new funds to the community.

14. All applications would need to be submitted through Council’s website, and would need to align with the following revised criteria:

o Aligns with the strategic direction of Council, for example supporting Council’s efforts to be carbon neutral by 2050;

o New community assets must directly benefit the following wards: Eastern, Central, Northern and Western. These assets could include, but are not limited to, computers, gardening equipment, support vehicles, kitchen equipment, AEDs, school playgrounds;

o New community assets must not require Council support to be delivered (ie: cannot be on reserve land or road reserve);

o This funding is a one-off grant and any future maintenance would be the responsibility of the applicant organisation.

15. Upon closure of the one-off contestable LCP Fund, officers would carry out due diligence on any applications received.

16. Decisions would be made by the Panel and approval of spending must be by resolution of the Panel at a formal meeting (this has not changed). Accountability reports will need to be completed at the end of each project.

Options

Option 1

(a) continue to work through the existing Local Community Projects Fund process with officials until the extended deadline of 31 March 2023;

(b) determine a priority order for projects, noting that each Division of Council will work on one project per Panel at a time; or

Option 2

(a) distribute all or part of the remaining funds through a contestable process to community groups (Charitable Trusts including marae, churches, sports groups and schools within the relevant wards);

(b) this is a one-off opportunity for community groups to apply for the purchase of an asset. There are minimal contestable funding opportunities within the Hutt Valley for the purchase of assets. This option would also allow for more projects to be supported as support or input from Council officers would not be required. If this option is chosen for the disbursement of all a Panel’s funds, that Panel would not need to operate beyond the current triennium; or

Option 3

(a) a combination of Options A and B with funds allocated to both processes.

17. Any remaining 2019-2022 LCP funds may be carried over to future Panels or tagged to particular Council workstreams for delivery in future years in the ward the funding was intended for.

Climate Change Impact and Considerations

18. There are no climate change implications to be considered. However, any asset funded through this new contestable fund must support Council’s Climate Change Action Plan.

Consultation

19. A meeting was held with officers and Panel Chairs in May 2022 to discuss the options proposed that had been agreed by Council at its meeting held on 24 May 2022.

Risks

20. There are no significant risks.

Financial Considerations

21. There will be no change to Council’s financial position as this report proposes methods of spending the LCP Fund, with no change to the balance of the funding available.

22. The LCP fund is a capital fund. Due to this, applications are assessed to ensure their funding is consistent with capital expenditure guidelines.

Legal implications

23. There are no legal implications.

Health, Safety and Security implications

24. These will be considered when appropriate, through the application assessment process.

Communication and Engagement

25. Officers will engage with Council’s Communications and Engagement team to ensure appropriate exposure of the new funds to the community.

26. Funding decisions will be provided to the Communications and Engagement team for them to share with the wider community.

Appendices

There are no appendices for this report.

Author: Debbie Hunter

Community Advisor Funding and Community Contracts

Reviewed By: Melanie Laban

Head of Connected Communities

Approved By: Andrea Blackshaw

Director Neighbourhoods and Communities

Wayne Gazley (Chair)
Catherine Chapman	Matt Claridge
Prabha Ravi	Cr Glenda Barratt
Cr Deborah Hislop	Cr Josh Briggs (alternate)