Decision details

The Council have received notification from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner that the Safer Stronger Doncaster Partnership (SSDP) will receive a Community Safety Grant of £129,391, which is allocated every year to fund initiatives and projects agreed by the partnership and linked to Partnership and OPCC priorities.

The Safer Stronger Communities service within Doncaster Council administers the grant funding on behalf of the partnership, gaining approval from the OPCC for proposed activity; submitting bi-annual financial returns and monitoring underspends. The use of underspends from the grant requires approval from the OPCC and any unspent funds have to be returned in line with the terms of the grant from Central Government.

At this stage the SSDP have proposed the activity below for the 2021-22 funding allocation. This is a similar approach to last year, which worked well and has been discussed and agreed informally with the OPCC:
• The continuation of the Workforce Development Officer post - £36,507;
• The continuation of the OCG Co-ordinator post - £31,800
• Support to strategic theme groups within the SSDP structure - £50k (£10k per group to allow them to respond to emerging issues throughout the year);
• Retention of an initiatives pot to allow the wider partnership access to funding for any initiatives/activity that may be required throughout the year - £11,084

To approve the receipt of grant funding from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), which will enable the Safer Stronger Communities Service to administer this fund on behalf of the Safer Stronger Doncaster Partnership (SSDP).

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED

Present a business case to the Senior Management Team seeking approval to use grant funding from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner in a specified way.

Option 1: Do Nothing
This is not viewed as a viable option, as without the required approval to use grant funding in this way; we may risk non-compliance with financial regulations. Should we not take up the option to utilise this funding, it would also place at risk a number of important posts, projects and existing services, identified by both Doncaster Council and the SSDP as being significant and vital for service delivery.

Option 2: Seek approval to use the grant funding received from the OPCC for the purpose specified in this report.
Recommended option - utilising this additional grant funding in the way identified above would enable continuity of existing Safer Communities services and key South Yorkshire Police roles, in addition to supporting initiatives and activities to respond to emerging priorities and challenges throughout the financial year. Utilising the Community Safety Fund grant would enable the SSDP to continue to tackle the key priorities identified within the Community Safety strategy, as below:
• Protecting Vulnerable People;
• Reducing Anti-Social Behaviour;
• Reducing Crime and Re-offending;
• Tackling Serious and Organised Crime;
• Reducing Substance and Alcohol Misuse.