DD2029 Team London - Partnership formalisation with GLV

1.1 Team London is the Mayor’s volunteering programme for London, using volunteering as a way of
increasing social action and positive outcomes for Londoners and the third sector in London. Team London encourages all Londoners to give their time to make our city a better place.

Team London is building he next generation of volunteers, connecting young people with their communities and giving them the skills, networks and experiences that they need to find work.

We are also bringing businesses and the third sector together to increase impact across the capital.

1.2 Greater London Volunteering (GLV) is the regional body for volunteering in London, and sees the
potential to work more closely with the GLA to achieve our shared ambitions of a thriving London, where communities work together, and social integration is realised. We believe the key components of a successful relationship lie in the ability of the GLV to;

• Reach to Londoners – engaging all our communities in helping to tackle the problems our city faces, and in building on the strengths of all Londoners;
• Giving voice to communities – helping to shape policy through our insight into the activities of volunteers and organisations on the ground in communities across the capital; and
• Delivery of change – achieving results through harnessing our network to deliver projects that act as a catalyst for social action across communities.

1.3 The GLA and GLV have worked closely together over the past three years. In 2016 The Way Ahead, a review of civil society was launched. The GLV and GLA had worked together closely on this review, which looks at the changing needs of the third sector in London and how to shape infrastructure and delivery to meet these needs. Both GLA and GLV have roles in how to take this review forward. The role of the GLA to support civil society in London is an important one and there are options about how we go about this.

1.4 In this interim period before change is implemented the GLA wishes to support GLV as it explores the different options more closely. A key element of such support would be a grant funding agreement stipulating the monetary and in-kind support, which the GLA would provide to GLV and demarcating the key outputs and milestones of GLV’s project.

1.5 Budgetary requirements of the proposal are set out below;

The closer working relationship between the GLA and GLV should also be able to increase investment in Civil Society, with the opportunity for bidding for regional contracts to deliver with local partners, bringing in at least £30k of external funding to the sector. This match funding is not a condition of the grant but will be a priority for the partnership.

This partnership includes direct funding from the GLA of £48,900 for the year August 2016 to July 2017. Approval is being sought to allocate the funding out of Micro grants & Support budget approved via MD1661.

2.1 By co-locating GLV within the GLA we believe we will be better able to work across teams within the GLA to achieve greater impact for our communities, maximising the value of GLV’s work whilst also helping to enhance the work of the GLA through our insight and reach. We believe there are three main areas of potential for GLV to work more closely with teams at the GLA, in:

• Adding value to existing programmes – using our reach and partnership approach to strengthen the offer of departments such as Team London, bringing the benefits of these excellent programmes to more Londoners and increasing their reach to more diverse audiences, using the opportunities as a way of improving social cohesion and social mobility;
• Sharing what we know to inform policy – bringing our data, and that of our network, to help inform the development of policy and action in response to community need; and
• Increasing investment and impact – by accessing charitable funds to match GLA sources, and focusing our energies, to increase the effectiveness of our interventions.

3.1 GLV represents volunteering organisations who are working to ensure equal access to volunteering opportunities in all areas in London and our support for GLV and working closely with them will have a positive impact on the ability of all Londoners, particularly disadvantaged ones, to access opportunities.

3.2 GLV has a strong track record and focuses on supporting more marginalised groups, and will be able to work with the GLA to improve access to London-wide opportunities.

3.3 Team London will work with the volunteer centres to ensure volunteering opportunities are offered to young people who are currently not in education, employment or training to help build their skills for the future.

a) Links to strategies and Mayoral and corporate priorities

The work with GLV will contribute towards the following Mayoral commitments:
• Building opportunities for London’s communities, including skills, employment and inclusion.
• Giving young people in London more opportunities.
• Driving volunteering in the capital to continue to build on the success of London 2012 and European Volunteering Capital 2016.

The Team London programme directly supports the Mayor’s priority to use volunteering as a way of increasing life chances, and ensuring better social cohesion within London. Working even more closely with GLV will strengthen our links with the volunteer centres who are the on the ground delivery team that are working all over London, but particularly in disadvantaged areas.

b) Impact assessments and consultation

Team London will continue to consult and engage widely with the volunteering community. Impact assessments will be carried out for the work that we do with GLV. Key considerations will be;
• Independent but involved – maintaining GLV’s status as a separate charity, whilst ensuring we get the best from co-locating our teams;
• Competing and collaborating – establishing protocols for how we best work together where this is the right thing to do, and maintain the healthy competition in other areas that continues to drive innovation and change; and
• Practicalities – GLV’s needs for space and support

c) Key risks and issues

(i) No benefits delivered: Co-location with GLV does not result in the desired benefits of shared intelligence and increased insight into on the ground needs. Mitigation: Ensure communication and contract sets out clear aims and objectives and ways of working so that benefit can be tracked. In worst case scenario, partnership agreement not renewed
(ii) Lack of understanding of the relationship: Volunteer centres do not understand the relationship between GLA and GLV and do not work with GLV going forward, which reduces on the ground intelligence that we have and the ability to trial innovative approaches and influence the implementation of the civil society review. Mitigation: Good existing relationships with Volunteer centres from both GLV and GLA perspective, messaging and communication to ensure that ways of joint working are understood, no other infrastructure support is available to Volunteer centres and they need GLV to act as their advocate so will look on this development favourably.
(iii) Issues with conflict of interest: There is a conflict of interest with GLV as an organisation and with its members and GLA priorities. Mitigation: Contract sets out clear parameters for working together, which are adhered to and revisited if issues arise.
(iv) Inability to frame role of GLV and GLA in civil society review, which means that not possible to access additional external funding; Mitigation; Ensure GLA involvement in review process, work with the Deputy Mayor, whose responsibilities cover the third sector, once appointed, to ensure that GLA strategic leadership role is defined and offer is clear.

5.1 Approval is being sought to provide up to £75,000 grant funding (£48,900 revenue funding and £26,100 value in kind), to fund activities to implement the recommended changes in the third sector. A partnership between GLA and GLV is being agreed for a one year period from August 2016 to July 2017.

5.2 The monetary funding of up to £48,900 includes £15,750 contribution towards rental cost at 65% discount due to its charity status, and £3,150 for Vat. In-kind’ support with an estimated value of £26,100 is also being provided by the GLA to GLV. This is the remaining balance after deduction of Rent + Vat from the standard desk charge at £22.5k per desk. Match funding has not been agreed.

5.3 The budgetary requirements of the proposed partnership have been set out in the body of the report under section 1.5 and these are summarised below:

5.4 GLV is not VAT registered and cannot reclaim the VAT applied to the rental cost.

5.5 The rental cost of £15,750 is payable to the GLA / FM. A rental agreement will be put in place.

5.6 The funding will be made available from Team London Micro grants & Support budget held within C&I, approved via MD1661. WBS code to allocate costs is GG.0270.002.005.

5.7 Any changes to this proposal, including budgetary implications will be subject to the Authority’s decision-making process.

Power to Undertake the Requested Decision

6.1 Under section 30 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (the ‘Act’) the GLA, after appropriate consultation, is entitled to do anything that will further the promotion, within Greater London, of economic development and wealth creation, social development and the improvement of the environment.

6.2 Furthermore, section 34 of the Act allows the GLA, to do anything which is calculated to facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of any functions of the GLA. In this case, the provision of grant funding to Greater London Volunteering (“GLV”) in relation to volunteering in Greater London may be viewed as being calculated to facilitate and conducive and incidental to social development in the Greater London.

Funding

6.3 The proposed grant of up to £75,000including £48,900in monetary support and £26,100 in in-kind support may be viewed as a conditional gift rather than a contract for services and supplies. Paragraph 6.4 of the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code requires that the funding be distributed fairly, transparently and in accordance with the GLA’s obligations regarding equality of opportunities. To this end, the officers have set out in paragraph 3 above how they have met the said requirements. Furthermore, the officers must ensure that an appropriate funding agreement be put in place between the GLA and GLV before any commitment to the funding be made.