Decision details

Nottinghamshire County Council’s Youth Service has offered Gedling BC and other Districts in the County the opportunity to work in partnership with local young people’s activity providers to deliver the Government funded Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) initiative over the Summer school holidays 2021.
The scheme is aimed at young people aged 5 – 16 years that are eligible for Free School Meals (FSM), and offers the opportunity for Gedling BC and existing voluntary and other young people’s activity providers to deliver a minimum of 4 hours summer diversionary activity up to 4 days a week, with a healthy food offer included, over the 4 week Summer recess.
Gedling’s allocation of the Countywide grant is £66,300. Additional allocations of HAF funding will be channelled through schools, youth clubs and children’s centres in the Borough. Allowable costs are room hire, activities, healthy (ideally hot), food provision and equipment (capital costs capped at 2%) and management costs (capped at 10%).
Should the Council enter into the funding agreement with the County Council, GBC would be responsible for collating outcomes returns from community partners and reporting those outcomes into NCC on a weekly basis over the four week Summer school holiday period. In addition, a single financial return would need to be submitted by GBC at the end of the Summer programme.
Initial scoping of Leisure Services options for delivery and potential community providers is underway, and ongoing engagement with NCC and community partners to finalise a local delivery plan is prioritised during July 2021. The scheme commencement date is 1st August 2021.
Successful delivery of the HAF Summer scheme is subject to:
•The identification of robust community delivery partners
•Sufficient staff resources being in place to administer, promote and coordinate the scheme.
Proposal
If the Leader of the Council agrees the delivery of the scheme, that the Council enters into a grant agreement with NCC to deliver the HAF scheme for the period 1st August – 31st August 2021.
That the Communities and Leisure Teams work with Gedling community partners to establish a programme of high quality holiday diversionary activities with a healthy food offer, targeted at children aged 5 -16 years that are either eligible for Free School Meals, or on the borderline of eligibility.
That the Council establishes a budget of £66,300 to which HAF funding can be directed in order to deliver the programme.

Recommendation(s)
THAT the Leader of the Council:
1)Approves the scheme for collaborative delivery of a Holiday Activities and Food (“HAF”) initiative over the summer holidays as detailed in this report.
2)Approves the establishment of a budget of £66,300 fully funded by external grant, to facilitate allocation of resources to the scheme.

To request approval for a scheme to enable local collaborative delivery of the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) initiative over the Summer school holidays 2021, funded by grant from Nottinghamshire County Council and to establish a budget for the scheme.

Not to enter into an agreement with NCC to deliver the HAF programme over Summer 2021
This option is not advised, as it would prevent Gedling young people from more vulnerable families from having access to high quality holiday activities and nutrition that would otherwise enhance their health and wellbeing, reduce loneliness, isolation and their connection to local services and facilities.
Deliver the scheme in a different way, i.e. using commercial activity providers.
This option is not advised, as the scheme provides the opportunity to build on collaborative work already undertaken with community organisations in delivering the Covid -19 Humanitarian Response. This has included the Richard Herod Food Hub, DWP Winter Assistance Grant Scheme and emerging Family Food Clubs. A dynamic partnership of Community Hubs, Food Banks, Churches and Community Groups has emerged from the pandemic with an intention to work together to maximise community based resources and services, build resilience in the voluntary sector and aid long term community recovery.