BOF Development Fund

[SJC]

From the latest minutes of Development Committee.

Lyn West delivered the following statement regarding the future of the Development Fund:

The Board has decided to include the multi-day levy fund in the budgeting process rather than leave it as a ring-fenced fund. It does not believe this goes against the original AGM decision of 10 years ago which specified that the money should be used for development. The Board considers that the fund is not currently being used as effectively as it could be and has decided that the money would be better used strategically by being centrally allocated to support the development priorities of British Orienteering. In particular, the Board is concerned at the lack of spending on volunteer support. LW went on to explain that volunteers would the focus for 2013. The Board felt that this area had been under resourced in recent years and use of the multi day levy would contribute towards resourcing this priority.

From the beginning of 2013, the Development Fund will no longer be available for allocation by Development Committee as grants to Clubs and Associations.

So the Board clearly believe that they know how to spend our money better than the clubs do.

Development Fund Applications

The British Orienteering Development programme has created a number of Community Orienteering projects throughout England which have increased participation and developed more places in line with the vision of British Orienteering. The programme has a number of opportunities that wishes to continue to develop and is seeking funding to ensure that these are delivered. The British Orienteering Development Programme is awarded £17,000 for use in further projects.

So although justifying the takeover of the fund for spending on volunteer support a large sum of money is immediately allocated to support Community Orienteering. Something we have always been told is funded by Sport England.

This appears to be yet another example of control being moved away from the clubs and associations to the central governing body to spend on their "one size fits all" approach to the sport.

[EddieH]

Having NEVER got involved in the Scotland BOF controversy this seems a bit rich.

The vast majority of this levy comes from Scotland for which we work our socks off up here. Now the money is going into an England heavy budget.

Some serious negotiation required here I think.

[Gross]

Some serious negotiation required here I think.

No negotiation required - simply two words

[MIE]

Sounds like a suitably worded proposal for the AGM --
either telling the Board that what the members decided
to do 10 years ago still stands or ..............

[Scott]

Here's a fun Development Fund fact: £11945 has been awarded to clubs who (to date) can't even be bothered to respond to emails asking for the overdue one-year reports on how they spent the money.

The vast majority of this levy comes from Scotland for which we work our socks off up here. Now the money is going into an England heavy budget.

Some serious negotiation required here I think.

The SOA, WOA and NWOA were all consulted about the change to the way the fund is used. And, if you scroll to the top of those minutes, you'll see that the SOA President was present at the October Development Committee meeting.

[Scott]

Also, in case anybody is curious where the £106,428 of cash awarded since 2008 (when the fund took on its current form) has gone:

development_fund.jpg (39.52 KiB) Viewed 4000 times

[greywolf]

Presumably the monies that would've become available through the multi-day event levy will be much reduced once the flat rate levy comes into effect? Or are multi-days exempted from this change somehow?

[Spookster]

Presumably the monies that would've become available through the multi-day event levy will be much reduced once the flat rate levy comes into effect? Or are multi-days exempted from this change somehow?

Multi-days aren't exempt, so events like the Welsh, Lakes and Scottish 6-days will pay relatively lower levy than previous years.

[Scott]

Indeed. The 50% levy split between BOF and the host association will still apply, so I estimate that the BOF multi-day event levy income will drop to c.£8000 in 2013 (and probably a bit less than that in Lakes 5/Croeso years).

[EddieH]

Scott I stand educated

[graeme]

levy income will drop ...

So the Board clearly believe that clubs know how to spend our money better than they do.

[smf]

Here's a fun Development Fund fact: £11945 has been awarded to clubs who (to date) can't even be bothered to respond to emails asking for the overdue one-year reports on how they spent the money.

I was the contact on a grant application for a club who's report is due according to the latest development committee minutes (also the January 2012 minutes). I have never received any request for our development fund grant report. Our project was lead by a member of the BOF development team too and I haven't received a request or a report submission by him either.

[obody]

So if I read it correctly, the Development Fund has previously been spent 22% on Scotland and 15% on Wales. This might reflect the non-availability of Sport England funding in those countries and the low rates of funding received from Sport Wales/Scotland.

If it is now being spent strategically on volunteer support UK wide I can see why WOA and SOA would support it.

However

'The British Orienteering Development programme has created a number of Community Orienteering projects throughout England ... The British Orienteering Development Programme is awarded £17,000 for use in further projects.'

seems to imply that that the remainder of the Development Fund will be spent solely on England - which doesn't sound like a great deal for SOA/WOA/NIOA - or even those areas of England which BOF chooses not to support (our club's club nights were cancelled because they'd run out of cash).

[andypat]

Here's a fun Development Fund fact: £11945 has been awarded to clubs who (to date) can't even be bothered to respond to emails asking for the overdue one-year reports on how they spent the money.

I was the contact on a grant application for a club who's report is due according to the latest development committee minutes (also the January 2012 minutes). I have never received any request for our development fund grant report. Our project was lead by a member of the BOF development team too and I haven't received a request or a report submission by him either.

It tells you on the application form that -

• You will also be required to produce a 12 month report.

[smf]

Here's a fun Development Fund fact: £11945 has been awarded to clubs who (to date) can't even be bothered to respond to emails asking for the overdue one-year reports on how they spent the money.

I was the contact on a grant application for a club who's report is due according to the latest development committee minutes (also the January 2012 minutes). I have never received any request for our development fund grant report. Our project was lead by a member of the BOF development team too and I haven't received a request or a report submission by him either.

It tells you on the application form that -

• You will also be required to produce a 12 month report.

I know that, but Scott said we (& others) had not responded to emails that have never been sent. I have tried several times to get a report from our development co-ordinator, but I have still not received anything.