Content

7.1

Funding delegated by the Council to LACs in
2024/25 amounts to £100,000 per LAC to address issues
identified in the South Community Plan. Following consultation with
the South LAC Members it is proposed that, as in 2023/24, this
budget should be allocated so that £25,000 is spent per ward.
Of this £625 per ward will be used to create a £2500
operations budget, leaving £24,375 per ward to spend on
Community Plan priority issues.
 
In order to enable financial decisions to be
made more quickly, given the delays caused by the two pre-election
periods (local election and general election) it is recommended
that the level of expenditure that can be approved by the Community
Services Manager in consultation with the LAC Chair under the
authority delegated by the LAC is raised to sums up to
£10,000. All other conditions would remain the same so
decisions may be taken provided that:
 

The decision is taken in
consultation with the Local Area Committee Chair
Spending is in line with any
specific purposes of the allocated budget
The decision may not approve
expenditure of more than £10,000
A report detailing the delegated
spending decisions taken by the Community Services Manager is
presented to the next Local Area Committee meeting.

 

 

7.2

RESOLVED:
That the South Local Area
Committee:

Agrees the approach
set out for use of the 2024/25 budget, using the £100,000
allocation to provide £25,000 per ward to develop projects in
line with the South LAC Community Plan 
Authorises the
Community Services Manager to make decisions on expenditure from
any budgets allocated to the Local Area Committee provided
that:

The decision is taken
in consultation with the Local Area Committee Chair Spending is in
line with any specific purposes of the allocated budget
The decision may not
approve expenditure of more than £10,000
A report detailing
the delegated spending decisions taken by the Community Services
Manager is presented to the next Local Area Committee
meeting.

 

 

 

7.3

Reasons for
Decision

 

 

 

The South LAC is asked to approach to its
2024/25 budget outlined in the report to address the identified
local priorities within the South LAC Community Plan.
 

 

 

7.4

Alternatives
Considered and Rejected

 

 

 

The LAC could choose not to allocate budgets
at this stage, but this would delay local projects and facilities
for local communities.
 
Decisions on grant awards could be reserved to
the LAC but this would inevitably delay delivery of priority
actions to address specific issues identified in the Community
Plan.
 
All decisions on expenditure to support
Community Plan priorities could be delegated to officers. However,
this would restrict and undermine the LAC’s ability to
monitor its delegated budget and delivery of the Community
Plan.