Purpose

To celebrate the coronation of His Majesty
King Charles III on 6 May 2023, Hammersmith and Fulham Council
(H&F) and community organisations will come together to support
and inspire young people through positive activities.

This urgent Key Decision report proposes the establishment of The
King Charles III Coronation Youth Fund to invest £1,000,000
over an initial two-year period to inspire young people aged 11 to
24 to reach their full potential. The Coronation Youth Fund will
support the delivery of inspirational events and youth activities,
improve places and spaces, and help more young people to access
arts, music, drama, and sport.

The Coronation Youth Fund supports HM The King’s lifelong
dedication through The Prince’s Trust to improving the lives
of disadvantaged young people in the UK. The £1 million marks
a record amount of council funding to youth services in H&F and
comes despite a 54% cut in Government funding to council services
over the last ten years.

The Coronation Youth Fund is intended to have long term positive
legacy benefits to people and places, and H&F will aspire to
either top up and or generate additional third-party contributions
towards the fund, to enable positive youth activities to extend
beyond the initial two-year period.

Decision

That the Cabinet Member for
Public Realm:
 

1.   
Approves the establishment the King Charles III
Coronation Youth Fund which will include the total investment of
£1,000,000 over an initial two years to fund the delivery of
youth facilities, events, and activities.
 

2.   
Notes’ that the decision to award the grants
will be made in line with the Council’s financial
regulations. 
 

Reasons for the decision

The coronation of His Majesty
King Charles III, who has been a long-standing champion of young
people from disadvantaged backgrounds through the work of The
Prince’s Trust, is a once in a lifetime moment for H&F
and community organisations to come together to support and inspire
the young people of our communities through positive activities,
and divert them away from anti-social behaviour, crime and gangs.
 
The King Charles III Coronation
Youth Fund demonstrates our longstanding local commitment to
supporting our young people and the £1 million marks a record
amount of council funding to youth services in H&F - despite a
54% cut in Government funding to council services over the last ten
years. It also provides an important boost and source of funding
for local groups to pioneer new ideas that build shared prosperity
and help young people achieve their full potential.

Alternative options considered

The options are outlined in the
report.