I would like to communicate to everyone a number of changes that have recently occurred with the SCBF to ensure we keep everybody updated.

1. Ian Hunt has agreed to step down as the Chair of the SCBF, and fortunately is remaining as a Director which will allow the Board to continue to benefit from his extensive knowledge and experience.
2. I have replaced Ian, as the Interim Chair, for an initial period of eight months. Why eight months? This is to allow sufficient time to make a number of changes which I will address below. In addition, all of the Directors have made the same commitment to see these changes through over the next eight months. I am grateful to Jayne, Paul, Ian and Darren for making this commitment. As everyone is aware these roles are voluntary, there is a lot of work needs to be done so, we need to do things differently as there is only a limited about of personal time that can be dedicated by the Directors, and without the Directors there is no SCBF.
3. Certainly, there will be changes some of which may raise eyebrows, some will be seamless and some will have a negative impact. First off we have been informed by Foundation Scotland that the £200 energy grant is not a charitable grant; this grant which all households have been eligible for will cease as of the end of this year. The cancelation of this much subscribed grant could not have happened at a worse time with the recent increase in energy prices. The decision to do so was not taken lightly and debated at length by the Directors. Unfortunately, we have clear guidance, both verbally and in writing, that this grant does not meet the criteria for a charitable grant and the SCBF is out with its charter to continue with it. A copy of the Foundation Scotland letter is on the SCBF website which provides further explanation. The next question is what can be done to address this loss? We are looking at a number of options with a clear focus on what can be done to create new grants that meet the charitable criteria with a particular focus on those who may need additional assistance to cover fuel costs. This is a top priority.
4. Additional changes that we are working on:
   a. Increased communication to members, to the other community groups and with the residents in general. For the members we would like to complement the Summary Minutes with updates of items of interest, things that are being worked on et cetera. For the community groups we will start with the bigger groups first and establish initial face to face meetings with a goal to better understand the needs and goals of those groups and to relay information on what the SCBF can and cannot do. The groups can expect a clear and transparent dialogue from the SCBF – that does not mean that we will always agree or be able to fund every request but that we will try to understand their needs and assist where possible. Finally with the community at large we need to update everyone on big issues and concerns – what funds are available this year? What role does the SCBF play in the upcoming CAP? What is the community expecting from the SCBF? Again, this is about having a conversation.
   b. How we conduct business. Currently the SCBF is spending a majority of its time on administrative issues, review of grants etc. As a result, a majority of meeting time is spent on approval of grants and questions that arise related to these grants. This will have to overhauled so that grant submissions are supplied with all the necessary information, that the SCBF forms are clear and we can no longer review the grants on a monthly basis but setting up an alternative review schedule. This means that the SCBF will have the time to review future issues that have longer term impact. Will we continue to approve grants? Absolutely but we need everyone’s assistance to ensure quality submissions and patience on approval times. This is one reason to reach out to the community groups to have open communications to iron out issues prior to grant submissions.
5. It is highly likely that Foundation Scotland’s services will withdraw their services early next year. Foundation Scotland provide all of the administration support, documents, distribution of grants etc. for us. Without them, or something similar, we can not function. This will be a critical issue to resolve in the coming months and more information to follow.
   The Annual General Meeting is planned for December 16th which will either be via Zoom or with some luck the Farr Hall, more to follow as we sort out the details. All of the Directors look forward to meeting and listening to yourselves.
   Thanks
   Mark Bessell
   Interim Chair