Agenda item

(a)       That the Community Foundation in Wales be congratulated for the work which they have undertaken and thanked for the distribution of local grants; and

(b)       That the Committee supports further investigation into the transfer of the Welsh Church Act Funds for Flintshire, Denbighshire and Wrexham to the Community Endowment Fund for Wales. 

The Policy & Performance Manager introduced a report to provide Members with an update on the progress and performance of the Fund since it was last reported in March 2015.  She also introduced Mr. Colin Evans, an Associate of the Community Foundation in Wales who was present at the meeting to provide a presentation on the performance of the fund. 

                        Mr. Evans detailed the background to the report and explained that this was the third presentation on the performance of the fund.  He provided a detailed presentation which covered the following areas:-

·         The Flintshire Community Endowment Fund

·         Introduction and Overview

·         The Community Foundation in Wales – news

·         Fund history and overview

·         Financial performance of the fund

·         Analysis of grant awards and added value for Flintshire

·         Additional services for Local Authorities

·         Questions and agreed actions

The Chairman and the Chief Executive thanked Mr. Evans for his presentation.

In welcoming the presentation, Councillor Paul Shotton acknowledged the excellent return of 10.9% since the assets were transferred to the Foundation and the further added value totalling £320,000 that had supported 67 projects in Flintshire since 2012.  He commented on the success of the Fund and particularly welcomed the help that had been provided to the Flintshire Foodbank and the Domestic Abuse Safety Unit in Deeside.  In referring to the partnership with Asda to deliver its community grant-making programme, Councillor Shotton asked if there were opportunities for other large companies to take up a similar role in the future.  He also commented on the Flintshire, Denbighshire and Wrexham Welsh Church Act Funds and provided his support for the recommendation to take this aspect forward for further investigation. 

Councillor Ian Dunbar felt that it was pleasing to see that the grants had been made to a variety of individuals and projects and highlighted in particular the grant of £750 awarded to a Girl Guide in the Senior Section at Wepre Guide Unit.  He sought clarification on the work on Vital Signs and Mr. Evans explained about the initiative which concentrated on what was needed in local communities.  He spoke of the work undertaken in the network of 48 community foundations which covered all parts of the UK and said that the award of every grant was followed up and the response assessed to ensure compliance with the terms of the grant and to measure the impact of the grants on individuals and communities.  Mr. Evans spoke of the desire to be able to share details of the successes of the Community Endowment with local businesses to try and encourage them to invest so that more grants could be awarded in the future.  He referred to a number of other themes that it was hoped the award of grants could be used for. 

Councillor Brian Lloyd referred to a meeting that he had attended where one of the recipients of a grant had been present.  The young person had been very thankful for the contribution made to allow them to take part in an event that they would otherwise have had to miss.  Mr. Evans welcomed the feedback from Councillor Lloyd.  In welcoming the report and presentation, Councillor Andy Dunbobbin asked what plans were in place to increase the awareness of the Flintshire Community Endowment Fund across the County.  Mr. Evans explained that the funds currently shared a core theme of education and that in the future, it was hoped that different areas or themes could be considered.  Information was available on the Council’s website and he welcomed the opportunity to be able to carry out presentations such as this to share the work of the Community Endowment Fund.  Councillor Richard Jones welcomed the monitoring of how the grant had been used and the impact its award had made and sought clarification on how this was achieved.  Mr. Evans explained that all recipients of grants were advised that they would need to let the Community Endowment Fund know how the money had been spent and the information was then included on a database to provide information on the use of the grants.  He added that if the information was not forthcoming from the recipients, then they were precluded from applying again in the future. 

Councillor Arnold Woolley thanked Mr. Evans for the clear and concise report and presentation and, in referring to his role as Chair of the Flintshire District Scouts Executive, gave thanks for the award of grants which had been of great assistance to those concerned. 

In response to a question from Councillor Paul Shotton, Mr. Evans spoke about the initial value of the endowment on transfer of £178,998 which was ring-fenced as a long-term source of funding to support education in Flintshire.  However, the fund had eight different themes which it was hoped future donations would be able to assist with. 

Councillor Richard Jones proposed the recommendation in the report but Councillor Robin Guest felt that it should include congratulations to the Community Foundation in Wales for their work.  On being put to the vote, this was agreed.          

            RESOLVED:

(a)       That the Community Foundation in Wales be congratulated for the work which they have undertaken and thanked for the distribution of local grants; and

(b)       That the Committee supports further investigation into the transfer of the Welsh Church Act Funds for Flintshire, Denbighshire and Wrexham to the Community Endowment Fund for Wales.