The Corporate Director Communities presented a report seeking permission to apply for new and to extend existing funding for Bridgend County Borough Council projects, Working Skills for Adults 2, Nurture Equip Thrive and Bridges into Work 2 which would sit under the new Employability Programme. He added that all three projects would be operated on a sub-regional partnership basis led by Torfaen County Borough Council.

The Corporate Director Communities explained that the development of the new programme would help realise the ambition to create a seamless comprehensive service for participants getting them the right support in the right way at the right time. The report included a table which set out all funding required for the three projects in scope including the match funding source.  

The Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration supported the recommendations and suggested that the two case studies should be read to see the overlap between education and regeneration and how some cases could fall off the radar. There were themes of depression, anxiety and other barriers to work but with professional guidance these could be managed.

The Cabinet Member for Social Services and Early Help stated that Sue Whittaker with her team had identified positive programmes and BCBC were now one of the strongest councils when it came to partnership arrangements to deliver.

The Cabinet Member for Wellbeing and Future Generations added that she was impressed by the work carried out and how residents had engaged with the programmes and made changes to their lives. She was pleased to see that the process had been stream lined and simplified for those that needed support.     

The Leader stated that he was proud of progress so far and that more could and would be done. Every community within the Borough benefited from this.

RESOLVED:          Cabinet:-

1.    authorised the Corporate Director Communities, in  consultation with the Section 151 Officer, to apply for and accept an extension to the BIW2 programme, up to 31st December 2022 in line with the Council’s Grant policy, and subject to being satisfied that any grant conditions attached to the extension of funding were acceptable;

2.    authorised the Corporate Director Communities, in consultation with the Section 151 Officer, to apply for and accept funding for the WSFA2 project, from 1st April 2018 to 31st December 2022 in line with the Council’s Grant policy, and subject to being satisfied that any grant conditions attached to the extension of funding were acceptable;

3.    authorised the Corporate Director Communities, in consultation with the Section 151 Officer, to apply for and accept funding for the NET project, from 1st April 2018 to 31st December 2022 in line with the Council’s Grant policy, and subject to being satisfied that any grant conditions attached to the extension of funding were acceptable;

4.    authorised the Corporate Director Communities, in consultation with the Section 151 Officer, to adjust the financial profiles in paragraph 7.1, should this be necessary as a result of negotiations with funders, or any individual project to being approved; and 

noted that Welsh Government had provided funding of £642,565.83 and had approved the submission for 2018/19 for C4W+ and then intended to offer the same amount for 2019/20 for C4W+, which would support the existing delivery of the current ESF funded C4W and provide match funding for NET. Should funding not be forthcoming from Welsh Government for 2019/20 then funding for the NET project could be readjusted to deal with the amount of match funding available going forward.