Agenda item

Gloucester Community Building Collective

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods providing an update on the City’s successful community building activities, their national recognition and to set out future steps for the establishment of a Community Interest Company.

 

Decision:

RESOLVED that:

 

(1)  the progress in delivering community building activities in Gloucester be noted

 

(2)  secondments and placements from Gloucestershire County Council (Adult Social Care) and the Constabulary (PCSOs) are welcomed

 

(3)  the investment by Barnwood Trust of 2 days/week for a period of 52 weeks to mentor and facilitate the current team, further develop the Collective and undertake fund-raising be welcomed

 

(4)  the next steps in the development of the Collective to become a community led organisation from October 2021 be noted

 

(5)  the increasing national interest in our community building work, including our involvement in Nesta’s ‘Upstream Collective’, the Key Cities work and the Centre for Public Impact be noted

 

(6)  whilst plans for fund-raising are noted, the Council underwrite the salaries of the three City Council employed community builders until December 2020 amounting to £90,000 to provide job certainty and protect our investment in training and developing them as individuals and as a team

 

(7)  a Community Interest Company (CIC) for the purposes of community building be established, more specifically: -

a.    that the name of this company is ‘Gloucester Community Building Collective CIC’

b.    that the City Council is the sole member

c.     to note that the Leader intends to appoint the Council’s Corporate Director (Partnerships) and Head of Communities as the sole Directors

d.    that Cabinet nominate a charity in the event that the CIC is wound up

 

(8)  authority be delegated to the Corporate Director (Partnerships) in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods to agree and enter into all necessary documentation to implement the above-mentioned recommendations, including the Memorandum and Articles of Association, Form CIC36 and Form INO1

 

Minutes:

Cabinet considered the report of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods that provided an update on the City’s successful community building activities, their national recognition and set out future steps for the establishment of a Community Interest Company.

 

The Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods introduced and outlined the background to the report.  She noted the hard work by officers and partners to produce the progress that had achieved national recognition including by the Nesta Foundation and Key Cities network. 

 

The Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods drew Members’ attention to the recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee of 30th September 2019.  In relation to recommendations 1 and 2 (criteria for measuring progress against the Company’s aims and updating the Committee) she stated that these would be provided albeit with discussions around fair evaluation and quantitative versus qualitative data.  The Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods advised that recommendations 3 and 5 (end of phase 1 review with option of ceasing operations and examination of a performance management framework with the commission of an impact study) would be too prescribed given the community-led and innovative nature of the company intended.  Concerning recommendation 4 (canvass of charitable organisations to be nominated as recipient of assets) she confirmed that the Gloucester Round Table had been chosen as the best option after extensive consideration.

 

The Cabinet Member for Environment informed Members of his experience in Kingsway where he had observed Community Builders making a real difference with initiatives such as Men’s Shed and Parkrun. He urged that the same opportunities be extended to communities across the city.  The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure sought clarification on the involvement of health service providers as there would be a clear benefit to health and wellbeing from the proposals.  The Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods confirmed that there had been discussions with relevant bodies including the Gloucestershire Health and Wellbeing Board on which the report author sat.  Further examples of involvement were given by the Corporate Director who particularly highlighted the success of the Kingsholm Community Builder which the funding partners were looking to extend based on health and wellbeing benefits.  The Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Strategy referred to the national recognition given by the Centre for Public Impact (3.9) and Nesta Foundation (3.10) to the good practice developed in the city.  He emphasised the importance of actively sharing and communicating this good work, especially with central government and the Local Government Association, as he believed that historically Gloucester had missed opportunities by not doing so.  The Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods reiterated the importance of articulating the Council’s achievements particularly as there was increasing acceptance that regeneration should be social as well as physical and the general lack of long-term case studies for which the city would be a good subject.  Regarding the latter she commented on the Council’s journey towards embracing an ABCD (Asset Based Community Development) culture over the last decade and placed the Community Building Collective within that context.  The Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources advised Members that she understood the proposed establishment of a Community Interest Company to be within current budget parameters.

 

RESOLVED that:

 

(1)  the progress in delivering community building activities in Gloucester be noted

 

(2)  secondments and placements from Gloucestershire County Council (Adult Social Care) and the Constabulary (PCSOs) are welcomed

 

(3)  the investment by Barnwood Trust of 2 days/week for a period of 52 weeks to mentor and facilitate the current team, further develop the Collective and undertake fund-raising be welcomed

 

(4)  the next steps in the development of the Collective to become a community led organisation from October 2021 be noted

 

(5)  the increasing national interest in our community building work, including our involvement in Nesta’s ‘Upstream Collective’, the Key Cities work and the Centre for Public Impact be noted

 

(6)  whilst plans for fund-raising are noted, the Council underwrite the salaries of the three City Council employed community builders until December 2020 amounting to £90,000 to provide job certainty and protect our investment in training and developing them as individuals and as a team

 

(7)  a Community Interest Company (CIC) for the purposes of community building be established, more specifically: -

a.    that the name of this company is ‘Gloucester Community Building Collective CIC’

b.    that the City Council is the sole member

c.     to note that the Leader intends to appoint the Council’s Corporate Director (Partnerships) and Head of Communities as the sole Directors

d.    that Cabinet nominate a charity in the event that the CIC is wound up

 

(8)  authority be delegated to the Corporate Director (Partnerships) in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods to agree and enter into all necessary documentation to implement the above-mentioned recommendations, including the Memorandum and Articles of Association, Form CIC36 and Form INO1

 

Supporting documents: