Decision details

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Langhorn)

Cabinet received a report from the Head of Governance to consider options for the use of existing charity and trust funds for which the Council is responsible which are currently dormant.

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment and officer preferred option, were set out in the report as follows:

Option 1 was the officer preferred option.  The transfer of the Council’s dormant charitable funds to the Community Foundation for Lancashire would establish a new endowment fund to support good causes exclusively within the District.

Councillor Langhorn proposed, seconded by Councillor Barry-

“That Cabinet agree to transfer the Council’s dormant charity and trust funds to the Community Foundation for Lancaster to establish a grant-making fund for the benefit of the district and that a new Grants Panel be established to make recommendations on funding.”

Resolved unanimously:

That Cabinet agree to transfer the Council’s dormant charity and trust funds to the Community Foundation for Lancaster to establish a grant-making fund for the benefit of the district and that a new Grants Panel be established to make recommendations on funding.

Officers responsible for effecting the decision:

Head of Governance

Reasons for making the decision:

The decision supports the Council’s priority of providing strong community leadership and promoting partnership working to address local need, such as housing, health, children and young people, environment, education, social care and crime and disorder. Bringing the Council’s dormant charitable trusts into active use would support the Council’s Community Leadership role, and have a beneficial impact on charitable organisations in the District which successfully bid for funding.