Grant Panel Question

Question

We have a Grants Panel and not a Committee, which we have highlighted is a major issue. At Full Council, they have only provided what thd grant will be for and no paperwork. Please advise what I should do as I thought we had to have transparency for giving money and Panels mean nothing. We still need paperwork.

Answer 1

This isn't really about the grant but spending public money. As every councillor is jointly and severally responsible to account for every penny spent by the council.
Account means to show in detail where when and how these monies are spent which means transparency and traceability. Your council is not doing this. Your councillors are at fault for not challenging the payments without paperwork when placed before them. They should be refusing to do so until the supporting documentation is forthcoming.

Your "panel" needs looking into as they appear to feel they don't have to abide by the rules

Comments

Thank you very much. You all are so helpful.

Answer 2

Is there a formal documented delegation of powers to the Grants Panel?  Are they empowered to make the decision, or merely to make a recommendation to the Council?

Comments

No, there are no formal documented delegation of powers. Yet, I know when I bring this all up, I will be argued with. We have written to the Town Clerk (me and another councillor) regarding panels, to no avail. That is why I wanted a law to quote. As I am one of the youngest, at 41, no one listens to me.

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If there are no delegated powers, the Council must make the decision, so the Council needs to be provided with all of the necessary information to enable it to do so.

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Thank you DavetheClerk! I will quote you as my friend "DavetheClerk" if inquired about it. It would be great if that got in the newspaper, wouldn't it?!

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It is common practice for councils to appoint a grants panel to review grant applications, check all the necessary elements have been submitted and meet the criteria for a grant and then make a recommendation to council for consideration.  At that point, all the necessary information should be available but it is not always copied to individual councillors in the interest of reducing paperwork and/or GDPR.  It rather depends upon the council but the information to any questions etc. should be available before any decision is made and if it's not, a motion to defer a decision until the requested information is available can be put forward.