Issue - meetings

To enable Cabinet to give consideration to comments made to it by the Community Leadership and Partnerships Committee in respect of the above.

That the Community Leadership and Partnerships Committee be thanked for its support of this project and its helpful suggestions, which will be taken into account in bringing this project forward to a future meeting of Cabinet for consideration.

Cabinet was informed that, at the meeting of the Community Leadership and Partnerships Committee held on 2 October 2017, Members had been consulted on a potential initiative to launch an online Tendring lottery, using an external lottery manager, to help fund discretionary support to local voluntary and community sector and to enable good causes to raise funds directly.

The Council’s Head of Customer and Commercial Services (Mark Westall) had given the Committee an overview of the potential initiative to launch an online Tendring lottery. The Committee had also had before it a report of the Corporate Director (Operational Services) which had reported that as budget pressures had continued to grow on all aspects of the Council’s work, there would inevitably be an impact on the funding available for good causes.

It was further reported that a Tendring Lottery had the potential to help organisations address any future funding pressures and also would move the Council into the position of enabler, helping communities to use their capacity to become more resilient and to self-help.

Members were informed that the report had addressed those issues and had provided a model for the implementation of an online Tendring lottery.

The Council’s Head of Customer and Commercial Services had informed the Committee that they were being consulted in order to gain their views on the proposed initiative for the Health and Education Portfolio Holder to take into account before progressing with the project and gaining the relevant authority and permissions.

Members had raised questions and concerns which were responded to by Officers.

Councillor McWilliams (Health and Education Portfolio Holder) had given her view to the Committee on the proposed initiative.

The Community Leadership and Partnerships Committee had decided that - 

“the Committee supports the Health and Education Portfolio Holder’s proposal to introduce an online District Lottery as outlined in this report and provides the following observations to be considered before the initiative is progressed and the necessary approvals and permissions are sought:

a.         the proceeds to be retained by the Council for allocation to good causes should be managed and allocated by the Big Society Fund Panel subject to a review being conducted on how the Big Society Fund works to ensure that fair shares are distributed across the District.

b.         a consultation with local charities should take place, facilitated by TCVS, to enable their feedback to be considered and to ensure that smaller scale charities are not missed out;

c.         the Committee retains some concerns around the ethics of a lottery and accessibility given that the lottery would be internet based and not all residents have access to the necessary IT.”

Having considered the comments of the Community Leadership and Partnerships Committee:

It was moved by Councillor McWilliams, seconded by Councillor Fairley and:

RESOLVED that the Community Leadership and Partnerships Committee be thanked for its support of this project and its helpful suggestions, which will be taken into account in bringing this project forward to a future meeting of Cabinet for consideration.