Issue - meetings

Report of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Communities is attached.

Councillor Richard Gold, Cabinet Member for Finance and Communities, presented the report which set out the revised Service Level Agreement with Bury Voluntary and Community Faith Alliance (Bury VCFA). Members discussed the importance of the VCFA and the breadth of work and support they provide and noted that it was important to retain the Council’s contribution.

Decision:

Cabinet agreed the revised Service Level Agreement with Bury Voluntary and Community Faith Alliance is agreed and funded for 2023/24, with intent signalled on continuation in 2024/25 subject to confirmation of funding availability across the Council alongside health and care partners.

Reasons for the decision:

·         The funding of infrastructure provision in the Borough provides a clear commitment to the importance of the voluntary and community sector.

·         By refreshing the Service Level Agreement the report seeks to strengthen the recognition of the sector as a key partner in improving outcomes for local people and the role infrastructure support plays in ensuring this is robust, recognised and representative.

·         The agreement allows for a clear focus of activity to develop Bury’s VCFSE ecosystem in a tailored manner to best meet local needs, in turn delivering on LET’S Do It! and GM VCFSE Accord commitments.

Other options considered and rejected:

·         To not fund or make a reduction in funding – this would significantly risk the loss of infrastructure support in the Borough, destabilising the wider VCFSE sector and jeopardise the positive progress made in recent years. Whilst recognising the financial pressures that the Council itself is under, investment in the infrastructure support to the VCFSE sector supports steps to increase the resilience of the sector itself, including supporting groups to attract inward investment into the Borough and diversify income generation streams.

·         To not update the specification – the last two years have continued so see socio-economic pressures across Bury as the Covid-19 pandemic and cost of living crisis have impacted local lives. This has also been a time though of new opportunity, of successful Levelling Up bids and emerging People and Communities Plans. As such to not update the specification would have risked there not been the appropriate local focus on ensuring a sustainable VCFSE ecosystem, best positioned and supported to enhance and enable local outcomes at place.