Social Value Ideas for Torfaen County Borough Council

£380k Grant Envelope

The current third sector major grants programme is funded from the council's core budget at £380,000. Officers said this is the baseline envelope for the redesign and that there is no current plan to …

“funding for the TSMG programme at present equates to 380,000 provided through core council funding”

Awards Range £4k to £146k

Individual grant allocations vary widely, from just over £4,000 to £146,000, with an average award of around £25,000. This indicates a mixed funding profile that may need rebalancing if the scheme is …

“funding allocations for the community groups engaged range from lower level awards of just over 4,000 to more significant allocation of 146,000, avera…”

Align Grants to Deal

The redesign will align the grants programme with the council's Deal, early intervention and prevention agenda and a more community-led model. Officers want a simpler, more open and transparent proces…

“align our grants, including the third sector major grants, to that paper”

£400k apprenticeship scheme

The council is proposing a £400,000 investment in apprenticeships to create a cohort of young people who can rotate across the organisation, receive mentoring and practical support, and then move into…

“"I'd like to have more information on the £400,000 investment for apprentices" and "The proposal is that we create a cohort of young people who come a…”

£2.85m budget gap for 2026-27

Officers reported an initial revenue budget gap of just under £3m for 2026-27, with further mitigations still required even after the draft settlement increase to 3%. This creates an immediate pressur…

“we've got a budget gap of just under 3 million pounds, 2.85 million pounds to address”