Issue - meetings
Approach to commissioning 3 year SLA 2027 onwards
Meeting: 11/03/2026 - Executive (Item 474)
474 Approach to commissioning 3 year SLA 2027 onwards 
PDF 102 KB
Purpose:
To outline the principles, application process and timeline for the commissioning of three-year Service Level Agreements for Community Grants covering the period 2027-2030.
Recommendations:
That the Executive resolves to:
- Approve the principles and timeline as set out in Sections 3 and 4.
- Agree an increase to the Base Budget of £53k per annum as part of the 2027-2028 budget setting process, and for subsequent years, bringing the total budget available to £555k over three years.
- Delegate authority for oversight of the commissioning process to the Director of Place, in consultation with the Executive Member for Stronger Healthier Communities.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Councillor Rachel Crouch, Executive Member for Stronger Healthy Communities, presented the item, the purpose of which was to outline the principles, application process and timeline for the commissioning of three-year Service Level Agreements for Community Grants covering the period 2027-2030.
In her presentation Councillor Crouch raised the following points:
- In November 2025 the Executive had agreed to commission a further 3-year Community Grants Programme with a base budget of £396,000.
- The new Community Grants Programme needed to be commissioned before current agreements ended in March 2027 and needed to be in place by April 2027.
- The programme would use the procurement framework with an emphasis on measurable outcomes and alignment with Council priorities.
- Applications for grants would open in June to September 2026.
- Funding decision would be made in November 2026.
- The programme would focus on: Climate resilience; Nature recovery and Community wellbeing.
- The maximum award was £30,000 per application, with up to two applications allowed per organisation.
- There was an assessment panel for the applications that would prioritise: partnership working, evidence of need, multi-focused delivery, inclusivity, climate and nature co-benefits and deliverability.
- The current base budget had been considered insufficient to meet expected demand and the proposals would increase the budget by £53,000 per annum, which meant a £555,000 programme over the three-year period.
Councillor Crouch then proposed the recommendations in the report.
The alternative options detailed in the report were that the timeframe could have been contracted as at the moment it is very generous. Options could have included opening the programme to applications later in the year, reducing the application window, shortening the assessment and decision-making period, or providing applicants with less notice of funding outcomes. However, the Council’s preference was to retain a generous timeline at this stage that allowed for unexpected developments and competing demands on time. The Procurement team had confirmed that the proposed timeframe was both achievable and preferable. The number of Lots could also have been adjusted, either reduced or increased. The Council’s preference was to maintain multiple focus areas, as this is likely to have made the programme more relatable and accessible to a wider range of potential applicants across different sectors.
Councillor Alaric Smith, Executive Member for Finance, seconded the proposal and stated that he considered it important to ensure that this work would continue in light of Local Government Reorganisation.
This was voted on and agreed unanimously.
The Executive resolved to:
1. Approve the principles and timeline as set out in Sections 3 and 4.
2. Agree an increase to the Base Budget of £53k per annum as part of the 2027-2028 budget setting process, and for subsequent years, bringing the total budget available to £555k over three years.
3. Delegate authority for oversight of the commissioning process to the Director of Place, in consultation with the Executive Member for Stronger Healthier Communities.
Meeting: 04/03/2026 - Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Item 105)
105 Approach to commissioning 3 year SLA 2027 onwards PDF 102 KB
Purpose
To outline the principles, application process and timeline for the commissioning of three-year Service Level Agreements for Community Grants covering the period 2027-2030.
Recommendation
That the Committee resolves to:
1. Note the report and agree any recommendations to the Executive.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The purpose of the report was to outline the principles, application process and timeline for the commissioning of three-year Service Level Agreements for Community Grants covering the period 2027-2030. It was included on the agenda for pre-decision scrutiny.
Councillor Rachel Crouch, Executive Member for Communities, introduced the report which was about sustaining investments into community services. In 2024 the Council had introduced a three-year service level agreement programme for community grants with funding of £396k plus a £167k top up. There were 8 programmes currently being delivered by 7 organisations. The current arrangements were due to end in 2027 so there was a need to prepare for the commissioning process now. No external funding would be available for the 2027-30 programme and it was recommended that the base budget be increased to match that for the previous three-year programme. There was a separate 3-year programme for Citizens Advice.
The Committee asked questions and noted from the responses that:
· The following groups had been supported: Wild Oxfordshire (2 projects), Chipping Norton Theatre, Age UK, Volunteer Link Up, the Low Carbon Hub, Homestart and the Wychwood Forest Trust.
· The programme was aligned with the Local Plan, the Nature Recovery Plan and the county-wide Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
· Food and energy initiatives were expected to come forward but the details of schemes could not be predicated at this stage.
· Supported organisations needed to be of a significant enough scale to handle the investments and manage projects effectively over time.
· Service Level Agreements would novate to a successor authority when new unitary council arrangements take effect and should be honoured. The new organisation(s) would then have time to make an evaluation and put any follow-on arrangements in place.
· Officers would consider how to make improvements in areas where the sustainability impact assessment was grey rather than green.
· There would be a robust procurement process, and officers had experience of working with organisations, setting KPIs and measuring performance.
The Chair thanked the Executive Member and officers. There were no recommendations to the Executive.