Decision details

The Cabinet Member:  

1.    Approved the award of grant funding for a two-year period, until 31 March 2024,to:  

·         Bharat Hindu Samaj Lunch Club 

·         Italian Community Centre Lunch Club 

·         South Grove Community Centre (formally known as FILEF Lunch Club) 

The total value of the grant period is £26,744.00. 

2.    Approved the award of grant funding to AgeUKfor Orton Day Carefor a two-year period until 31 March 2024.  The total value of this grant is £46,764.00. 

The total value of this grant funding is £73,508.00. 

The reason for the recommendation is to enable grant funding to remain in place to ensure that there is no disruption inthese cohorts and communities, whilst work is undertaken, as there is little knowledge of alternative support options. 

The individual value of the grants are relatively low and the grant recipients they support provide an invaluable service to the community in terms of maximising health, wellbeing, and independence. More specifically, they provide support to ensure individuals can continue to live independently in the community, preventing them from developing higher support needs that require access to care packages.  

All lunch clubs are well established within the Peterborough community and offer an important lifeline to a range of local people and in particular the lunch clubs are judged to offer outstanding value for money. For example, all lunch clubs equate to funding of less than £3.00 per person. The Italian lunch club that receives the smallest grant just 81p per person also only charges people £4.00 a day and is open from 9am – 2.30pm and includes drinks, a two-course lunch and transport for the people who live too far to walk. This is particularly excellent value for money when compared to a lunchtime homecare call costing an average of £16.75 per hour. 

The lunch clubs provide more than lunch and outcomes for members include social interaction, physical activity and mental wellbeing. 

The Age UK Day Care currently supports 28 older people and would immediately close without this grant funding.    

1.    Not award the grant funding – this option was discounted as it makes a valuable contribution to the cohorts and communities who benefit from this funding and supports the Council’s strategic objectives and offers excellent value for money. 

2.    Contract with the providers – this option was discounted under the current grant arrangements given that the relationship is more of providing funding for the grant recipients to achieve their objectives rather than the Council receiving direct services in return for the funding. This would also not align to the proposed commissioning intentions for older people day opportunities.  The AGE UK grant arrangement enables the service to continue and brings its funding arrangements more in line with similar services while the day opportunities review programme takes place.  

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