Issue - meetings

Report of the Director of Culture, Strategy, and Engagement. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Culture, Communities & Leisure.

This is a social value policy framework to determine how subsidies may be applied to leases held for council properties by voluntary and community sector organisations

Cllr das Neves and Cllr Chandwani left the meeting room.

The Cabinet Member for Culture, Communities & Leisure introduced the report which set out proposals to develop a new policy which will allow Council officers to determine subsidy levels on leases for Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations operating out of Council buildings.

In response to questions from Cllr Cawley- Harrison, the following information was noted.

• Regarding the engagement for the social value policy framework and particularly residents being involved in the development of this, in accordance with the Haringey Deal, the plan was to consult as widely as possible.
• An up-to-date list of leases for voluntary and community organisations operating out of Council buildings had been compiled and the details of that were contained in the exempt papers. The current listing situation was not ideal but the Council were working on compiling these up to dates lists which help manage the portfolio going forward in the future.

Following consideration of exempt information at item 27,

RESOLVED

1.    To approve a process of engagement with the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS), as set out in paragraph 4.5, to co-produce a social value policy framework to guide determinations as to how and when subsidies may be applied to leases held for Council properties by Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations, as set out in paragraphs 6.7 and 6.8.

2.    To note and agree that Living Under One Sun and the Selby Centre should be treated separately in advance of a final policy, given the advanced status of these projects as set out in paragraph 4.7 of this report.

3.    To note that a further Cabinet report will be delivered in late 2024, which will present a full policy on community assets for Cabinet approval.

Reasons for Recommendations

The Council is proud of the support it provides to the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) to provide vital support to Haringey’s communities, particularly the most vulnerable. We do this in a variety of ways, whether by commissioning them directly to provide services, building their capacity and sustainability through the work of the capacity building partner and bringing external funding into the borough, or by providing them with affordable premises for offices or other spaces from which to carry out their activities. This report sets out the principles for a new approach to provide greater clarity around how we manage and deliver this last type of support.

At the time of writing, there are a diversity of leases in the Council’s VCS property portfolio. That includes leases from zero or peppercorn to something closer to market rent. Many of these leases have expired and there is no formal policy or framework for determining the basis on which VCS organisations should occupy Council-owned buildings, resulting in inconsistencies and a variety of historical arrangements and leading to the potential for accusations of unfairness of treatment, or at least a lack of transparency. This also leads to a lack of clarity regarding responsibilities for building maintenance, and a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 128