Decision Maker: Managing Director
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: No
A grant offer of £135,196 was received
on 10 July from Alison Ismail, Director of Agri-Food Chain
Directorate, Defra, in relation to the Local Authority Emergency
Assistance Grant for Food and Essential Supplies.
This grant of £63 million was announced by the Prime Minister
on 10 June for local authorities in England to help those who are
struggling to afford food and other essentials due to COVID-19. The
funding is a one-off contribution for the 2020-21 financial year
and is made under Section 31 of the Local Government Act
2003.
A decision is needed regarding how it should be spent.
Financial/staffing/health & safety (incl virus transmission
risks)/service delivery impacts/other risks and impacts
considered:
The proposed expenditure is the same as the grant accepted hence no
cost to the Council. Limited officer time needed to deploy the
grant. The services the grant will be used to procure address
priorities identified in the Impact of Covid 19 report considered
by COE and informal cabinet in May 2020.
Equality Impacts:
Considered that this scheme was more likely to help those with
protected characteristics but no EIA was undertaken when making the
decision.
That £115,000 be allocated to secure
additional Bread and Butter Thing provision and £20,196 be
allocated to CAB to engage hard to reach groups through The Bread
and Butter Thing.
Reason: That this is the most effective way of deploying the
resource in line with the funding criteria.
Alternative ways of providing emergency food
and essential supplies were considered. None of the other options
were as advantageous or self-sustaining as those agreed.
Publication date: 25/11/2020
Date of decision: 16/07/2020