DD2715 Community Resilience Fund – Round 2 extension

1.1.    Borough resilience forums (BRFs) are responsible for multi-agency emergency planning at the local level, as determined by borough risks and needs. They contribute to emergency planning for London, as directed by the London Resilience Forum (LRF). They facilitate cooperation and information sharing between the LRF and resilience partners at the local authority level.
1.2.    Local authorities across London operate emergency planning or resilience teams that coordinate the local authority’s preparedness and response to emergencies. These teams also act as secretariats to their local BRFs.
1.3.    The UK government’s National Resilience Framework, published in December 2022, has a focus on, and ambition for, a whole-of-society approach to resilience. This includes the involvement of the voluntary and community sector (VCS).
1.4.    The London Communities Emergencies Partnership (LCEP) brings together the community, faith, funders, equalities and voluntary sectors. LCEP contributes directly to the LRF exercising an emergency response whilst supporting civil society engagement in resilience. LCEP is managed by Greater London Volunteering (London Plus), which works to connect London’s VCS.
1.5.    Round 1 projects of the Community Resilience Fund started in January 2023, and were completed in September 2023. A midpoint project evaluation was conducted by Kingston University, London. End-of-project reporting has also been undertaken. 
1.6.    In March 2024, Round 2 of the Community Resilience Fund was launched. Like in the previous round, this is delivered in partnership with London Plus. Eleven VCS organisations, across 11 London boroughs, were awarded funding to improve local community resilience practice. The projects were selected by London Plus and the GLA through a competitive and public grant process open for registered charitable organisations. These projects, led by the VCS organisations, are working collaboratively with their BRFs and local authorities. 
1.7.    The 11 organisations funded include:
•    Bexley Voluntary Service Council
•    Community Links Bromley
•    Community Southwark
•    Ealing and Hounslow Community Voluntary Service
•    Richmond upon Thames Council for Voluntary Service
•    Thames Life
•    Volunteer Centre Hackney
•    Hammersmith & Fulham Volunteer Centre
•    Volunteer Centre Kensington & Chelsea
•    CVS Brent
•    Voluntary Action Harrow CIC.
1.8.    Round 2 projects are well under way, and partnership working with local authorities is off to a good start. Round 2 grantees have been connected to Round 1 projects to share experience and learning.
1.9.    The GLA partnered with Building Resilience Together (an Aviva-funded partnership between Aviva, Communities Prepared and the British Red Cross) to provide training and resources to further support grantees working alongside local authorities to develop Community Emergency Plans. 
1.10.    All projects have undertaken training sessions, including developing Community Emergency Plans, and Volunteer and Incident Management. 
1.11.    Following the first six months of the Community Resilience Fund Round 2, a variation to the GLA’s agreement with London Plus is proposed, to provide additional investment of up to £27,500. This would enable each grantee organisation listed above to receive an extra £2,500, as a contribution to the costs of continuing their work for three more months. To date, these VCS organisations have been delivering their projects by attending training; building on their relationships with local authorities; and engaging with organisations from the wider VCS. 
1.12.    This funding will enable an extension to the Community Resilience Fund Round 2. This extension is required for funded organisations to develop their project activity, which includes enhancing local community resilience emergency plans with their local authority partners; and embedding community-led approaches to emergency management. These plans cannot be completed within this initial six-month pilot; and many of these organisations are considering how they will continue this work.
 

2.1.    This funding’s objectives are to:
•    create or improve local community-resilience partnerships between the VCS, BRFs and statutory partners (primarily local authorities)
•    increase local community-preparedness through new or improved joint planning
•    strengthen local community-resilience practice through creating or improving communications channels; using data and insight; and/or using exercising scenarios. 
2.2.    The expected outcomes of this grant funding were agreed as:
•    increased community preparedness for emergencies 
•    improved relationships between the VCS and statutory agencies 
•    improved communications channels for responding to emergencies. 
•    improved data and insight into community preparedness.
 

3.1.    Under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as a public authority, the GLA must have ‘due regard’ of the Public Sector Equality Duty – that is, the need to:
•    eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
•    advance equality of opportunity
•    foster relations between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not.
3.2.    The Community Resilience Fund projects will improve engagement of VCS organisations in resilience and formal emergency planning structures through local BRFs. 
3.3.    Community Resilience Fund grantees bring invaluable knowledge, insights, connections and trust with London’s diverse communities; and are best placed to support in communicating and responding to emergencies. 
3.4.    Partnership working between local authorities and community-led diverse groups will continue to improve representation and bring in voices excluded in policy and emergency planning places. 
3.5.    The Community Resilience Fund will improve engagement with, and understanding of, communities among BRFs and local authorities, in response to emergencies. Already we have heard local authorities’ feedback that this work is improving their links to communities.
3.6.    The inclusion of community partnerships at a local level will improve mechanisms for the LRF to engage with these partners.
 

4.1.    The following key risks have been identified:

4.2.    This proposal will support the People and Places strands of the Mayor’s City Resilience Strategy.
4.3.    There are no conflicts of interest to note for any of the officers involved in the drafting or clearance of this decision form.
 

5.1.    Approval is sought to allocate an additional financial contribution of £27,500 from the London Resilience Unit's existing budgets in 2024-25, to extend delivery of community grants taking total expenditure to £88,000.
5.2.    London Plus is required, in its provision of grant-management services, to monitor funded projects against outcomes (as outlined in section 2, above); and to include specific deliverables in funding agreements with VCS organisations.
5.3.    London Plus’s award and management of the funding will be overseen by the City Resilience team in the London Resilience Unit, within the Strategy and Communications directorate.
 

6.1.    The foregoing sections of this report indicate that the decisions requested of the Director of Resilience concern the exercise of the GLA’s general powers, falling within the GLA’s statutory powers to do such things considered to further – or that are facilitative of, or conducive or incidental to – the promotion of skills development, job creation and economic development in Greater London.
6.2.    In implementing the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought, officers should comply with the GLA’s related statutory duties to:
•    pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people
•    consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom
•    consult with appropriate bodies.
6.3.    In taking the decisions requested, the Director of Resilience must have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, namely the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010; to advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic (race, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity, and gender reassignment) and persons who do not share it; and to foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it. To this end, the Director of Resilience should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.
6.4.    Paragraph 1.11, above, indicates that the further contribution of up to £27,500 to London Plus amounts to the provision of grant funding and not payment for services. Officers must ensure that the funding is distributed fairly; transparently; and in accordance with the GLA’s equalities requirements, and the requirements of section 12 of the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code.
6.5.    Furthermore, officers must ensure that an appropriate funding agreement is in place (or varied if applicable) between, and executed by, the GLA and the recipient before: any commitment to fund is made; and any funding is paid to the recipient.
 

7.1.    The Community Resilience Fund will be delivered through grant funding to VCS organisations. These organisations will work with and through their local authorities and BRFs.

MD2845
DD263