Agenda item

5.1     James Lee (Head of Culture and Community Development) introduced the report. The following key points were noted:

·      The report details the work undertaken under the Equalities strand of the Main Grants Programme 2015-18.

·      The monitoring of grant funded work is done in two ways: officers will check up on organisations’ progress, but organisations themselves will also alert officers if there any problems in the delivery of their work.

·      Voluntary Action Lewisham (VAL) is the lead agency that coordinates the work on equalities. VAL also works with the Equalities Working Group that has a specific equalities remit under the Main Grants Programme 2015-18, as well as other areas of the Council, such as the Violence Against Women and Girls service.

5.2     James Lee, Tony Nickson (Director of Voluntary Action Lewisham), Matthew Henaughan (Cultural Development Manager) and Aileen Buckton responded to questions from the Committee. The following key points were noted:

·      The Equalities Working Group would work to identify any need for work on equalities. The Group would also coordinate equalities work done across the voluntary sector. The group could also raise any need they’ve identified with relevant organisations so action can be taken. This could include contact with Council services, Councillors and other providers in Lewisham.

·      The application process for Grants was rigorous and organisations had to meet a high bar to receive a Grant. The action plan for the Equalities Working Group may be ambitious but there is nothing to suggest the action plan is not deliverable at this stage.

·      VAL is responsible for coordinating work across the voluntary and community sector to contribute towards the objectives set out in the Council’s Comprehensive Equalities Scheme (CES). The CES forms a framework for the equalities work done by the voluntary sector.

·      VAL has a capacity building programme which support voluntary sector organisations in becoming sustainable and growing their organisations. Organisations in receipt of grant funding are also monitored by officers using the Rocket Science method.  

·      The delivery plan for EqualiTeam Lewisham has been agreed with the organisation. Some of the activities listed have already started, for instance the work with the Stephen Lawrence Centre and the work with the Metro Centre following discussions in the Equalities Working Group. The objectives for EqualiTeam’s work are shared across a number of organisations. Some organisations are expected to deliver on their objectives by the end of the three year Grant Programme while EqualiTeam is expected to deliver against the objectives in 6 months. Each organisation has its own action plan – only the action plan for EqualiTeam Lewisham has been included with the report.

5.3     The Committee made the following comments:

·      Some Members of the Committee felt that the Equalities Working Group Action Plan was impressive and were interested in whether the objectives would be delivered against.

·      One Member of the Committee felt that the objectives listed were not specific enough, and requested that in future the objectives of organisations in receipt of grant funding from the Council should all follow the SMART format (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-related).

5.4     RESOLVED: that the Committee noted the report