Decision details

Margate Levelling Up Fund: Third Party Grant

Decision Maker: Cabinet

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Purpose:

The successful Margate Levelling Up Fund project; Margate Digital will be delivered directly by a third party - EKC Group.  Thanet District Council is the accountable body for the Levelling Up funding programme and it will grant fund EKC Group to deliver the scheme as identified in the bid submitted to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. An executive decision is required because the expenditure exceeds £250,000. 

 

The Council has a formal grant agreement which will be used when allocating funding to third parties, Cabinet is required to approve this allocation as a key decision. 

 

The Levelling Up Fund bid for Margate was approved by Cabinet and had the full backing of the MP Sir Roger Gale.

Decision:

Cabinet agreed the following:

 

1.  To approve the use of Grants which exceed £250,000 to third parties to deliver the agreed Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities funded project:

 

·  £6,306,078 capital grant to the EKC Group, to deliver the Margate Digital project, identified in the Margate Levelling Up Funding bid;

 

2.  That each grant agreement is signed under Deed, by the Director of Law and Democracy, and the Director of Finance and S151 Officer, and is witnessed by a Member of the Council.

Reasons for the decision:

To enable delivery of the already agreed Margate Levelling Up Funded project.

Alternative options considered:

The only alternatives are to either give the funding back to central government, or for the Council to deliver the Margate Digital campus themselves. The Council is not in the position to deliver an education campus, and therefore the only option is to grant fund EKC Group to deliver the scheme they put forward for the Levelling Up Fund programme, which was awarded the grant funding.

Publication date: 04/05/2022

Date of decision: 28/04/2022

Decided at meeting: 28/04/2022 - Cabinet

Effective from: 12/05/2022

Accompanying Documents: