Agenda item

New Homes Bonus Grants 2018/19 - Round two

To consider the head of community services’ report.  

Minutes:

Be Free Young Carers

 

The officer introduced the application by Be Free Young Carers for a New Homes Bonus grant of £900 towards a Client Management Software replacement. The Officer explained that the applicant had requested £900 from each area committee and thus the score for funding the project could not be awarded full marks as it was conditional upon the other area committees granting the funding.

 

There were no speakers present for the application. The committee debated the item.

 

RESOLVED: to

 

1.    Increase the officers recommended score of 1 point for New facilities or activities to 2, in view of the fact that the new Client Management Software would provide a new facility for the group. This raised the overall score of the application from 8 points to 9, making it a high priority for funding.

2.    Award Be Free Young Carers up to 15.75% (capped to £900) of the total cost of the project, the amount requested by the applicant.



Harwell Village CIO

 

The officer introduced the application by Harwell Village CIO for a New Homes Bonus grant of £3,300 towards the cost of a refurbishment of Cherry Hall Floor in Harwell Village Hall. The Officer explained the reasons behind the recommended scoring, and highlighted that the project only received a score of 1 for funding the project because the group had enough reserves to fund the project in full themselves.

 

There were no speakers present for the application. The committee debated the item. A councillor noted that the new flooring would allow for better disability access to the village hall, and recommended raising the score for new facilities or activities to 2.

 

RESOLVED: to

 

1.    Increase the officers recommended score of 1 point for New facilities or activities to 2, in view of the fact that the new flooring would raise health and safety standards and allow better disability access to the hall. This raised the overall score of the application from 8 to 9, making it a high priority for funding.

2.    Award Harwell Village CIO up to 49.64% (capped to £3,300) of the total cost of the project, the amount requested by the applicant.



Wantage Summer Arts Festival

 

The officer introduced the application by Wantage Summer Arts Festival for a New Homes Bonus grant of £1,045 towards the cost of promotional aspects for Wantage Summer Arts Festival 2019. The Officer explained that although the project had scored 8 points out of a possible 12, the Officer recommended that the project received £0 of funding. The Officerexplained that although the current policy does not exclude applications for events/festivals. Itlooks to fund projects that support community initiatives and facilities that will benefit the community for at least five or ten years. The group had already put in an application to the council’s festival grant scheme, which is amore appropriate scheme than the NHB one.

 

The Officer also noted that as the application was new and they had not previously been awarded a grant from the council, that they stood a good chance of being awarded a grant from the festival scheme. The officers therefore did not recommend awarding a grant, to avoid double funding the event.

 

There were no speakers present for this application. The committee debated the item.

 

RESOLVED: to

 

1.    To approve the officers recommended grant of £0, in view of the fact that there were more appropriate funding schemes for the event, which the applicant has already applied for.

 

 

Betjeman Millennium Park

 

The Officer introduced the application by Betjeman Millennium Park for a New Homes Bonus grant of £1,470 towards the cost of additional new seating at Betjeman Millennium Park. The Officer explained that they had increased their recommended score for New facilities or activities from 1 to 2, in view of the fact that the additional seating would provide specific seating for a wider range of demographics, including seating with arms designed to suit the elderly. This increased the total score for the application from 8 to 9, making it a high priority for funding.

 

There were no speakers present for this application. The committee debated the item.

 

RESOLVED: to

 

1.    Agree the officers recommended score of 9 points out of a possible 12.

2.    Award Betjeman Millennium Park up to 50% (capped at £1,470) of the total cost of the project, the amount requested by the applicant.

 

 

Letcombe Brook Project

 

The Officer introduced the application by Letcombe Brook Project for a New Homes Bonus grant of £1,015 towards the cost of a new website for the project.

 

Mark Bradfield, the Project Manager of Letcombe Brook Project, spoke in support of the application and answered questions from the committee. He explained that the Letcombe Brook ran through many additional towns in the Vale Of White Horse and would the new website would benefit a wider area than just Wantage. He gave additional information about the services provided by the Letcombe Brook Project and the wide range of activities they hosted, including community action projects and educational outreach.

 

RESOLVED: to

 

1.    Increase the officers recommended score for Community benefit from 1 to 3, and the score for New homes in parish(es) from 1 to 2, in view of additional information provided. This raised the total score for the project from 7 to 10, making it a high priority for funding.

2.    Award Letcombe Brook Project 50.00% (capped at £1,015) of the total cost of the project, the amount requested by the applicant.

 


Wantage Girlguiding District

The Officer introduced the application by Wantage Girlguiding District for a New Homes Bonus grant of £2,295 towards the total cost of improvements to the guide hall. Officers explained that the group only scored 1 out of a possible 3 for New homes in parish(es) as the application came from the Wantage branch of the Girlguiding district, which had seen a 9.40% increase in additional homes, allowing them to receive one point.

 

There were no speakers present for this application. The committee debated the item.

 

RESOLVED: to

 

1.    Agree the officers recommended score of 7 out of a possible 12 points.

2.    Award Wantage Girlguiding District 37.49% (capped at 1,721) of the total cost of the project.

 

 

The meeting closed at 7.30 pm 

Supporting documents:

 

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Vale of White Horse District Council
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Abingdon
OX14 3JE