Elected Member Briefing - Community Greenspace financial assistance for volunteer groups

About this Briefing Note

Report by: Andy Clegg, Community Greenspace Manager

Date: 23rd April 2024 

Subject: Community Greenspace financial assistance for volunteer groups, and ongoing support

Responsible Officer: Susan Whyte, Community Greenspace Team Leader

Details

Purpose

This report is an update on the reduced direct financial support being provided to greenspace volunteer groups.

Briefing information

The Community Greenspace Service currently supports 118 volunteer groups, helping them to generate around 40,000 hours of work annually. This compliments the work the Council undertakes in managing greenspace assets and in most cases is work that otherwise wouldn't be done.

It has great added value in ensuring the places we live in, and visit are fit for purpose and attractive, as well as contributing to the physical and mental wellbeing of those involved and creating a community sense of pride.

Eighty-five of the groups are provided with financial assistance, insurance, training and materials due to the nature of the physical activities they undertake. This often 'levers in' significant amounts of additional funding.

The financial assistance per group has varied in previous years, depending on the budget available, size of the group and the type and extent of activities they carry out.

The reductions are significant due to a combination of previous budget motion monies coming to an end and a saving in the core budget in 2023/24.  

A non-recurring budget motion allocation of £75k to support biodiversity in our open spaces the saving of was made in 2023/24, so the impact was less significant last financial year.

The saving of £21k from the £56k core budget and need to cover the groups' activities through the Council's low-cost insurance scheme at a cost of £15k leaves just £20k for the groups. This is a reduction of over 50% and added to the loss of previous budget motion monies, means a reduction of around 80% in real terms for most groups.

Whilst this will undoubtedly be very discouraging for the groups, we expect most will be aware of the difficult choices the Council had to make in setting the budget. To try and minimise the potential loss of volunteer effort and all the benefits that brings, we will continue to ensure the excellent work they do in improving their local environment is supported and valued through our two environmental initiatives officers and four remaining greenspace rangers.

They will continue to signpost them to other potential sources of funding, such as the Community Environmental Challenge Fund, Community Investment Fund, Green Initiative Fund, Common Good Fund and any other viable funding stream via the Council's External Funding Team.  

The support for groups will continue to be managed alongside the other priority tasks the rangers are required to carry out including, regular site, infrastructure and tree inspections, dealing with obstruction to outdoor access and assisting with other projects and initiatives such as roll out of the grassland trails and food growing strategy.

As such, whilst Community Greenspace staff are committed to and passionate about working with our voluntary groups, they are at capacity now, especially with enabling groups to adapt to some of the impacts of climate change such as repairing paths and drainage and maximising opportunities to address the loss of biodiversity through pollinator, wildflower and tree planting.

They are working hard to empower and facilitate groups to do as much as they can themselves so the ability to take on any more groups will therefore be dependent on the level of support already being provided to existing groups.