Agenda item
Changes to Grant Funding to Ocean Regeneration Trust (ORT)'.
Minutes:
Imelda Burke, presented the report seeking to amend the grant payment to the
Imelda Burke, (Regeneration Officer, Place) presented the report seeking to amend the grant payment to the ORT, highlighting the key issues in the report. This sought to grant a one off payment of 80k ending the ongoing agreement with the ORT. Members were advised of the key features of the previous Grants Determination Sub- Committee decision to allocate £809k in January 2019. Since that time, the situation had changed. There had been a number of meetings with ORT to discuss the need to alter the funding whilst ensuring that the ORT and the Harford St Community Centre continued to operate. The ORT will continue to receive income from ground rents and this will continue to cover the running costs of the Harford St Community Centre.
Councillor Leema Qureshi, (Scrutiny Lead, Resources) asked a number of questions about the following issues:
· The proposal to revise the agreement and the impact of this. What other factors and alternatives had been taken into account?
· The consultation with the community over the proposals.
· In response, Members noted the existing funding arrangements with the shops on Ben Johnson Road and ORT. The reduction in the income from this earmarked funding has had an impact on how much funding was available to the ORT, which was an Interim Legacy Group.
· It was emphasised that that the ORT will continue to receive ground rents payments from leaseholder units for activities.
The Committee asked a number of questions and discussed the following points:
· The amount of ground rent from shop income.
· The ORT received ground rent totalling £118k 2020/2021. This income will enable the ORT to continue to operate as a community facility, but under a different model.
· That Officers were working with the existing tenants of the ORT and Harford St Community Centre which included Stepney Life Centre to ensure their continued use of this space, they were working on agreements.
· The use of the proposed grant fund. It was anticipated that the Grant funding would support the delivery of community grants, projects and some running costs.
· This running of centre will continue to be managed internally by the Council’s facilities management to provide a cost effective service.
· The proposals also sought to realign the allocation of ringfenced HRA funding in line with the aims of that funding.
RESOLVED:
1. To agree an amendment to the January 2019 approval of a three-year grant funding to ORT.
2. The amendment is for a one-off payment of £80k derived from shop income on Ben Jonson Rd. This would then end any future funding from the retail unit income to the ORT. This sum is requested from the £809k originally approved in January 2019, minus a sum of £80k already granted for 2019/2020 (as above).
3. The ground rent income will not be affected and will continue to be collected by the Council and transported annually to ORT first quarter of each year in line with the original Ocean Estate development agreement. The year 2019/2020 ground rents totalled £118k. This is an ongoing income for ORT and will not be affected by ending the recommendation of this report.
Supporting documents: