Will the Cabinet Secretary outline the budget and cost for the current Review of the Community and Town Council Sector?
The approved budget for the Independent Review Panel on Community and Town Council Sector totals just under £190,000 over the life of the Panel, July 2017 – October 2018. This includes the full cost of providing a dedicated secretariat for the review as well as a specific engagement and research budget. The Independent Panel members themselves are unremunerated and provide their time on a voluntary basis although their travel costs are covered.
Panel engagements events to date have all been held in local community venues to encourage attendance. This has allowed the use of the budget to be maximised. The current spend to date (as at March 2018), including costs for the current suite of engagement, totals just over £40,000.