Issue details

Delegated authority has been granted to the Combined Authority Chief Executive, in consultation with constituent council Chief Executives, in relation to the allocation of regional recovery funding.

The Community Recovery Fund Full Business Case was initially approved under delegated authority in March 2021. At that point, the intention had been to commission a Voluntary and Community Sector managing partner to lead the project.

Although subsequently there was initial interest from a number of Voluntary and Community Sector organisations and consortia, no proposals were submitted. In light of this, a number of options for an alternative delivery model were presented to the Skills Officer Group who determined a preferred option which is now included in the revised business case. This option is a ‘hub and spoke’ model to be delivered by both the West of England Combined Authority team and the constituent local authorities, with the key roles and responsibilities of the ‘Managing Partner’ being delivered in partnership through these teams. This approach will work alongside and integrate into local programmes and services more easily, thus helping the Community Recovery Fund to meet the employability outcomes set. The revised Full Business Case is included at Appendix A.

The Skills lead officers and Chief Executives of the West of England constituent councils were consulted on this proposal and were in agreement with the decision.