Brighton & Hove City Council
Children, Families &
Schools
Agenda Item 58(d)
Committee
Subject: Long-Term Sustainability of Youth-Led Grants
Date of meeting: 29 February 2024
Report of: Executive Director Families, Children and Learning
Proposer: Councillor Helliwell
Seconder: Councillor Alexander
Proposed amendment
This committee notes:
1) The value and importance of the Youth Led Grants Programme, which has provided vital support to projects which benefit young people aged 11 to 19 (or up to 25 if they have special educational needs) since 2018;
2) Proposals in budget papers from the
meeting of the Strategy, Finance, and City Regeneration Committee
on the 8th February, to remove the full £80,000 previously
allocated to the Youth-Led Grants Programme, though later partially
addressed by halving this cut;
Welcomes the
partial reinstatement of the Youth Led Grants Programme in the
recently passed budget for 2024/25
3) The negative impact the £40k
loss of funding will have on the projects which have previously
benefitted from these grants and the young people they support,
especially on young people who are not eligible for free school
meals and so will therefore not be able to access HAF
funding; That it is
regrettable that central government underfunding of local
government has meant that the Programme could not be continued at
£80,000, and that this will be disappointing to many groups
that previously bid for it;
4) That the reinstated Youth Led Grants programme should have a particular focus on Disadvantaged communities;
5) Uncertainty around future budgets and central government funding that make grant programmes such as this possible.
Recommendations
This committee therefore: