National Assembly for Wales Call for Evidence - Committee of Inquiry, Funding of Voluntary Sector Organisations

Personal comments and observations from David Salter

1. Grant aid from the National Assembly is a great help and encouragement to the important youth development and extension work undertaken by uniformed voluntary organisations.

2. The last grant round covered the 3 years from the 1/4/2005 to the 31/3/2008. The decision to continue the existing funding for another year (2008/2009) without an opportunity to make a special bid on the Contingency fund, where there has been a very significant change of circumstances, is not helpful.

3. A 3 year funding cycle does significantly help mid term planning but the regulations should provide for a simple specific annual review where special financial circumstances apply - current regulations may require a refund of grant where the grant conditions are not being met and in a similar way if financial circumstances change in an unplanned way - if the organisation took on another employee or a new project not in the original bid and without the approval of the N.A.G. then this would not qualify - then there should be at least an opportunity to make a supplementary bid for an additional grant. It is appreciated that this could result in some limited grant money being held back and it could be argued that this would be counterproductive. However, allowing for possible slippage in the programmes of individual groups, then the contingency reserve need not be significant.

4. I have a perception that :

(a) very large non uniformed organisations, who are also able to employ significant numbers of paid part time and fulltime staff ( with large office overheads etc) find it easier to get large grants than smaller organisations.

(b) organisations - often even without any proven record of working with young people - that offer to work with disadvantaged, disruptive or difficult young people - find it much easier to qualify for and attract grants - be this from NAG. The National Lottery, local authorities because the grant regulations are targeted at these areas.

Whilst the uniformed voluntary organisations are " open to all” we do not specifically target disadvantaged or difficult young people as such - or label them - but we do have some in our organisations.

Therefore, more credit and grant aid should be directed specifically towards voluntary uniformed organisations who commence working with children well before the grant age qualifications of 11 to 25 and who "add considerable value” across a wide range of activities - physical, educational, social, spiritual - to help and develop them as individuals and as part of a family and a larger group.

5. I do not know how much "potential grant money” is used up in the administration of the scheme and its regulations and I have no reason to suggest that this is not cost effective. The sums and organisations involved should be clearly transparent. Also there should be an annual review of the sums allocated for this purpose and appropriately qualified people in some of the grant receiving bodies should be included in the review process - without any payment to avoid any reduction in the grant money available for distribution.

6. More flexibility and encouragement should be given to the voluntary uniformed organisations to be allowed to make a bid to carry out the administration and monitoring of the grant regulations and also for their members to appear in publicity material, TV advertisements etc. Also more "free” publicity about projects - currently this is almost non existent - could perhaps help recruit more volunteer leaders and helpers for all groups working with young people.

7. A voluntary (unpaid) review group should be set up to consider and encourage more joint working and the use of shared facilities - thus enabling more projects to be undertaken with our young people. Some of the larger non uniformed groups have extensive office facilities which are often used only for 5 days per week and from 9am to 5pm.

8. A national U.K. review is currently being undertaken to encourage more people, parents etc to Gift Aid - partly to offset the reduction in the tax rate as from the 1/4/2008. I am not sure if the N.A.G. is involved in this research project but provisions should be made for the voluntary uniformed organisations in Wales to be included in the publicity, TV slots etc which I understand are currently being planned (probably at considerable administrative/consultants costs.)

Ref DS NAG Funding Comments 29/11/07