Brighton and Hove City Council
Tourism, Equalities, Agenda Item 63
Communities & Culture
Committee
Report of: Executive Director Housing, Neighbourhoods and Communities
Contact Officer: Name: Aime Claude Ndongozi
Email: aime.ndongozi@brighton-hove.org.uk
1 PURPOSE OF REPORT AND POLICY CONTEXT
1.1 This paper sets out a proposed grants scheme to support and integrate Ukrainian Refugees who have settled in the city under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
2.1 That committee approves the Ukrainian Refugee Programme grant scheme proposed in section 4.
2.2 That committee approve delegate authority to the Executive Director of Housing, Neighbourhoods, Communities to authorise the grant awards.
2.3 That Policy and Resources committee approves the Ukrainian Refugee Programme grant scheme proposed in section 4.
2.3 That Policy and Resources committee approves delegated authority to the Executive Director of Housing, Neighbourhoods, Communities to authorise the grant awards.
3. CONTEXT/ BACKGROUND INFORMATION
3.1 The council
has been delivering Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship
Scheme since its launch by the
Government in March 2022.
3.2 From its early mobilisation, the council’s Ukrainian refugee programme has adopted a collaborative approach with local partners including Ukrainians and their hosts. This report builds on the initial information provided verbally by officers to Policy & Resources Committee meeting of 23rd March 2022, the all-member briefing provided on 24th March 2022, the report to Policy and Resources committee on 12th May, the Members briefing on 29th July 2022 and the report to TECC on 29th September 2022.
3.3 Governance of the programme is via:
· Eight workstreams have been successfully feeding into the programme. They include coordination (single point of contact, data management, checks, payments), access to education, access to health/mental health, access to employment and benefits, housing sustainment, community tensions and reassurance, and community integration which is a multi-agency group with community and voluntary sector partners and members of the Ukrainian community.
· A multi-agency operational groups consisting of the leads of each workstream, public sector partners and community and voluntary sector partners
· A strategy group consisting of senior managers in the council and chaired by the Executive Director for Housing, Neighbourhoods and Communities
· Reports to Policy and Resources committee
3.4 To the end of the financial year 2022/23 the council is estimated to spend £1.232m on in-house and external partner projects from a total of £5.100m estimated grant income allocated so far in the 2022-23 financial year. This funding is ringfenced for the Homes for Ukraine scheme and remains available to the council for the financial year 2023/24.
While national government has extended the scheme to 2023/24. It is unclear, at this time, if there will be a third year of funding attached to the scheme. The tariff per guest was reduced from £10,500 to £5,900 from year one to year two (January 2023) of the scheme. Officers have been careful to manage the budget prudently while funding services to support the Ukrainian refugees. In addition, there has been a reduction in the number of Ukrainian guests arriving.
The scheme has a three-year budget plan, based on the £5.100m funding allocated to date which includes the grant scheme, in-house support services, programme costs and contingency. £0.455m is yet to be committed and a further grant sum for Quarter 4 is estimated to be £0.262m, yet
uncommitted.
Ukrainian Refugee Programme Priorities in 2023-24
3.5 The council organised a programme review event in October 2022 which involved all the agencies involved in delivery the programme to date. The review identified the need to build on achievements to date and develop a more planned approach, moving away from reactive mobilisation. Further engagement with in-house and external partners and a survey of the needs and concerns of Ukrainians themselves conducted in November-December 2022 identified key priorities to inform our delivery moving forward into 2023-24. These are: access to information, advice and guidance, housing sustainment and move-on, access to language provision (ESOL), employability and business start-up advice, access to health/mental health and wellbeing, community cohesion and integration (adults and young people) and capacity building. The priorities identified are consistent with the Government requirements set out in the Guidance for Councils (Homes for Ukraine: council guides - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
4. Ukrainian
Refugee Programme Grant Scheme
4.1 An initial investment of £1,150,000 over a 15-month period is planned on innovative projects under each identified priority through a collaborative, fair and transparent grant scheme. 15-month period will bring services/projects to conclude in September/October 2024, allowing a close down period for the scheme should there be no further funding. The funding split is informed by current project delivery costs of similar projects.
4.2 The grant scheme process has been informed by wide engagement with stakeholders through meetings, and one-to-one conversations with internal council and external partners in our main delivery areas, as well as the council’s Third Sector team and procurement service.
4.3 The proposal is the allocate the funding via the following ‘lots’:
|
Total amount available |
Maximum grant amount per project |
|
|
ESOL provision |
£300,000 |
£100,000 |
|
Employability & business start-up advice |
£300,000 |
£100,000 |
|
Access to information and guidance |
£150,000 |
£50,000 |
|
Mental health and wellbeing including counselling and therapeutic services |
£100,000 |
£50,000 |
|
Community cohesion and integration including awareness raising, social connections and events – Adults |
£100,000 |
£50,000 |
|
Community cohesion and integration including awareness raising, social connections and events – Young people |
£100,000 |
£50,000 |
|
Local community capacity building for an inclusive refugee welcome infrastructure |
£100,000 |
£50,000 |
|
TOTAL |
£1,150,000 |
|
4.4 The intention is for the grants scheme to go live for bids in early April and conclude in early June with expected delivery to begin from end June/July (depending on the project) for 15 months. The bid evaluation process will include advice from a panel including officers with subject expertise, members of the Ukrainian refugee community and a representative from the third sector. Any conflicts of interest will be managed as per council procurement guidelines.
4.5 Successful projects will be delivered alongside the programme of in-house services including advice and guidance (Community Hub), housing sustainment and move-on, ethnic minority achievement service, adult learning, and others. The grant scheme will be managed as part of the whole programme by the Ukrainian refugee programme co-ordinator.
4.6 The Ukrainian Refugee
Programme Strategy Group and the Council’s relevant
committees will be provided with regular updates on the grants
scheme delivery.
5. 1 Financial Implications
The Homes for Ukraine Scheme’s estimated spend in 2022/23 is £1.232m with further estimated spend for 2023/24 and 2024/25 of £1.881m and £1.532m respectively, a total commitment of £4.645m. These estimates include the proposed £1.150m be used for the Ukrainian Refugee Programme Grant Scheme recommended in this report. Hence there are sufficient funds available for this Scheme.
Finance Officer Consulted: Monica Brooks Date: 27/02/2023
5.2 Legal Implications
Councils have a critical role in the delivery of the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. The scheme proposed uses grants available from the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme, consistent with the Government requirements set out in the Guidance for Councils (Homes for Ukraine: council guides) and is not in substation of any additional statutory duties or responsibilities of the council which may arise to the individuals concerned.
The government has set out the conditions on use of the tariff grant in grant determination letters which have been published. To give local authorities the flexibility to plan, any remaining tariff funding for 2022/23 can be rolled over and spent in 2023/24, providing that this is spent in accordance with the conditions set out in the grant determination letters.
Under the guidance the tariff, to be provided to local authorities across the UK from 1 January 2023, will remain un-ringfenced and it is therefore up to the discretion of local councils to spend the tariff according to local need and expertise. The guidance asks councils to prioritise their tariff funding to achieve the key outcomes of welcoming, safeguarding, and settling in; integration and work; long-term sustainable housing; and reporting and data management.
Lawyer consulted: Natasha Watson Date: 27 February 2023
5.3 Equalities Implications:
The design of the grant scheme is being designed with the insights
directly from the Ukrainian refugees as well as indirectly from
services – in the public and community and voluntary sectors
- that have been supporting them over the last 12 months. While
seeking to support all Ukrainian refugees it will look to assist
women, children and young people and people with mental health
condition.
5.4 Sustainability Implications:
No sustainability implications arising from this report.
Any Other Significant Implications:
None