Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Gervase Duffield.

To adopt and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 02 July 2009 (previously circulated). 

The minutes of the meeting of the committee held on 2 July 2009 were adopted and signed as a correct record.

To receive any declarations of personal or personal and prejudicial interests in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting. 

Any councillor with a personal interest or a personal and prejudicial interest in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Conduct, in any matter to be considered at a meeting, must declare the existence and nature of that interest as soon as the interest becomes apparent in accordance with the provisions of the Code.

When a councillor declares a personal and prejudicial interest he shall also state if he has a dispensation from the Standards Committee entitling him/her to speak, or speak and vote on the matter concerned.

Where any councillor has declared a personal and prejudicial interest he shall withdraw from the room while the matter is under consideration unless

(a)                his/her disability to speak, or speak and vote on the matter has been removed by a dispensation granted by the Standards Committee, or

(b)    members of the public are allowed to make representations, give evidence or answer questions about the matter by statutory right or otherwise.  If that is the case, the councillor can also attend the meeting for that purpose.  However, the councillor must immediately leave the room once he/she has finished; or when the meeting decides he/she has finished whichever is the earlier and in any event the councillor must leave the room for the duration of the debate on the item in which he/she has a personal and prejudicial interest.

Declarations of interest were made in respect of community grant applications as follows:-

To receive notification of any matters, which the chair determines, should be considered as urgent business and the special circumstances, which have made the matters urgent, and to receive any announcements from the chair.

None.

Any statements, petitions or questions from the public under standing order 32 will be made or presented at the meeting.

The committee received three statements from the public relating to grant applications as follows: -

(1)       Mr Malcolm Ross spoke on behalf of Abingdon Performing Arts Group Enterprise, known as APAGE, thanking the committee for the opportunity to speak. He welcomed the proposed service level agreement and the new relationship it would bring with the District Council. He stated that this was more important than the grant itself. He reported that he was well aware of the conditions included in the agreement and understood that it was not a contract. An Service Level agreement would mean that not only had APAGE secured psychological support but also a steady influx of funds.

(2)       Mr Steve Beacon spoke on behalf of the Abingdon Rugby Club. He highlighted the positive impact that the club had on Abingdon. He reported that the Club had been founded in 1931 and had in excess of 400 members, but it was hoped that this would increase to over 500 by 2013. At the same time the Club aimed to increase the number of volunteers. He stated that funding for the new rugby pitch had been secured and the Club was requesting a grant towards the pitch lighting.

(3)       Sue Hargreeves spoke in support of Abingdon Sea Cadets. She explained that the Sea Cadets were applying for a grant to replace their boat trailer, which was damaged in the recent floods in 2007.  A new trailer would mean the Sea Cadets could reintroduce teaching of power boating skills during the summer months. Amongst the Abingdon membership, there were currently cadets with special educational needs.

The Chair thanked the speakers for their statements explaining that they would be taken into account when the committee considered the respective applications later in the meeting.

To receive and consider report 68/09 of the Head of Corporate Strategy (attached). 

The committee received and considered report 68/09 of the Head of Community Strategy, which set out details of three applications for community grants and two requests for twinning grants. The report also set out the committee’s community grants budget position. It was noted that £10,830 remained in the current financial year. However, the committee noted that its available budget could be increased in that the grants awarded by the Committee on 6 November 2008 to the Compass Café and the Vale of White Horse Foyer had not been claimed.  However, both applicants might not need to claim these grants if their applications for third party funding to the County Council’s Chill Out Fund were unsuccessful.

Councillors noted that there was insufficient funding available to award all the grants requested. Councillors concluded that each application should be considered on its own merits and decided to have no regard to the possible additional funding from the Chill Out Fund. In the first instance, the committee considered whether to support the application in principle. The Committee would then revisit each application and vote on amounts to be awarded.

(1)       Abingdon Town Council Twining

Councillor Tony de Vere took the Chair for this item

(Councillors Julie Mayhew-Archer, Jim Halliday, Angela Lawrence, Pat Lonergan and Alison Rooke had each declared a personal and prejudicial interest in this item and left the room during its consideration).

Councillors considered the budget provision for this financial year and considered reducing the amount awarded to Abingdon Town Council for twinning purposes. It was reported that a large part of the grant would be used to fund the staff post.

(2)       Drayton Twinning Society

(Councillor Richard Webber declared a personal and prejudicial interest in this item and left the room in during its consideration).

Whilst considering each application on its own merits, Councillors commented that it would be fair if the grant to Drayton Twinning Society was reduced by the same percentage as that to Abingdon Town Council. It was reported that the Society was independent of the Parish Council and was run entirely by volunteers. It was commented that the Society ran on a two year cycle, one year was spent visiting the other twin town and the other spent hosting. This resulted in significant variations in the budget each year. The Committee was reluctant to decrease the grant mid-term as the twinning society was expecting the same level of funding and had budgeted for this. The Committee considered that the full amount requested should be awarded on this occasion but the Society should be informed that the amount could be reduced next year.

APAGE (Abingdon Performing Arts Group Enterprise)

(Councillors Tony de Vere, Jim Halliday, Julie Mayhew-Archer, Alison Rooke, Laurel Symons and Richard Webber each declared a personal interest in this item).

At the last meeting of the Abingdon Area Committee members resolved to support, in principle, a three year Service Level Agreement (SLA) with APAGE to support the Abingdon  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

None.