Proposed new Exeter Community Grants Programme backed by Executive
Published: 23 January 2024
Proposals for the Exeter Community Grants Programme for 2024/2025 have been agreed by the Council’s Executive.
The proposals set out how community organisations will be funded by the Council using the Neighbourhood portion of the Community Infrastructure Levy.
The Council has allocated £275,563 to fund the new core Wellbeing Exeter programme in 2024/2025.
Wellbeing Exeter’s community builders and connectors have demonstrated an overwhelmingly positive impact on reducing entrenched inequalities and will in future refocus even more effort into the communities in greatest need, a report to councillors highlighted.
The report reveals how the Council’s grants programme has injected more than £880,000 into the community over the last four years.
Cllr Martin Pearce, Lead Councillor for Communities, welcomed the new Community Grants Programme and the support it provides organisations in the city.
He said: “It is amazing to see in this report how many organisations have benefitted through community grants – almost £900,000 invested in our community.
“It’s great that, even with the funding challenges that we have in local government at the moment, we are still able to invest another £155,000 next year into community grants which is a fantastic sum of money – much more than any of our neighbouring district councils are putting in. I’m so pleased that we are able to do this and long may it continue.
“I’m also very thankful that we have been able to find a way of continuing with Wellbeing Exeter after Devon County Council and all the NHS funding was withdrawn. We are well aware of the value Wellbeing Exeter brings to residents in the city and the tangible difference they make to people’s lives.
“We are not reducing the funding to Wellbeing Exeter, which is really important, because they perform such a fantastic role in the city, and I am so pleased we are continuing to invest in it.”
Officers will explore new ways of funding Citizen Advice Exeter, which has provided an advice and advocacy service in the city, the report states.
Executive backed an amendment to provide Citizen’s Advice with a one-off grant of £75,000 from an underspend in the General Fund, which will allow officers to work with the organisation on the transitional arrangements.
During the period of the contract from October 2019 to October 2023, Citizen’s Advice Exeter has generated £16,989,078 of income back into communities by income maximisation, in-work benefit claims, disability benefits claims, local charities and statutory agencies.
Cllr Pearce added: “It’s fantastic that we have been able to find some funds to continue to support the CAB because they do some amazing work in our city and support some of the most vulnerable people in our community. The impact they make on people’s lives is incredible.
“They help to bring in large sums of money each year to our communities – money that goes into the pockets of some of the most vulnerable people in the city. That money then goes back into the economy locally, so I am so pleased we can continue to support them.”
The Exeter Community Grants programme was first agreed in July 2019 following extensive consultation and stakeholder and community feedback. The programme awarded 599 grants to the community with a value of £882,979 between 2019 and 2023.
The Community Grants Programme will be discussed at Council on 20 February.