Agenda item

At the first two meetings of the current financial year, the Committee had considered the idea of a prospectus setting out the Committee’s priorities in providing support to the local community.  A draft prospectus had been prepared and amendments had been discussed.  The Amended draft prospectus is attached as an Appendix to this agenda.

 

At its meeting on 1 February the Committee had been invited to consider an amended draft prospectus.  However, in view of the number of grant applications presented to the Committee at that meeting it was resolved to defer consideration of the amended prospectus until this meeting.

 

The amended draft prospectus now has an introduction which is designed to explain the role of the Area Committee in relation to the Vale Community Strategy and the Oxfordshire Local Area Agreement.  The introduction also makes it clear that the Committee has a limited budget but may be able to offer a suitable project a small financial grant. 

 

The prospectus can help the Area Committee to demonstrate its community leadership role by championing projects that promote community self help and are consistent with the priorities of the Vale Community Strategy.

 

The prospectus will act as guide for applicants by indicating the Committee’s priorities for support.  However, it will need to make clear that each application is determined on its individual merits and that the Committee is free to support project activity which is not mentioned in the prospectus.

 

Members are requested to determine the final content of the prospectus and to decide whether they wish to convene an Abingdon Area Forum meeting in order to facilitate public consultation on the content.

 

Recommendations

 

(a)               Members are invited to consider the amended draft prospectus, attached as an Appendix to this Agenda setting out the Committee’s priorities for support to the local community in 2006/07 and to determine the final content of the prospectus, and;

 

(b)               Members are requested to determine the need to convene an Abingdon Area Forum meeting to facilitate public consultation on the content of the prospectus.

The Committee received and considered an agenda item which advised that the Committee had considered previously the idea of a prospectus setting out the Committee’s priorities in providing support to the local community.  A draft prospectus had been prepared and amendments had been discussed. 

 

The amended draft prospectus now included an introduction which was designed to explain the role of the Area Committee in relation to the Vale Community Strategy and the Oxfordshire Local Area Agreement.  The introduction also made it clear that the Committee had a limited budget but might be able to offer a small financial grant to a suitable project. 

 

The prospectus could help the Area Committee to demonstrate its community leadership role by championing projects that promoted community self help and were consistent with the priorities of the Vale Community Strategy.

 

The prospectus would act as guide for applicants by indicating the Committee’s priorities for support.  However, it would need to make clear that each application was determined on its individual merits and that the Committee was free to support project activity which was not mentioned in the prospectus.

 

Members are requested to determine the final content of the prospectus and to decide whether they wish to convene an Abingdon Area Forum meeting in order to facilitate public consultation on the content.

 

The Amended draft prospectus attached as an Appendix to the agenda was considered in detail and the following comments made: -

 

Prospectus

·         The Prospectus was based on strands and themes from the Community Strategy which Members might not find relevant to Abingdon.

·         Some details of previous grants should be included.

·         A “layman’s version” of the prospectus should be produced, it being considered that the use of the text set out in the “Priorities in Abingdon and Area in 2006/07” column would be suitable.

·         Readers would be put off by a lengthy document.

 

Distribution

·         Consideration needed to be given as to how the Prospectus would be circulated.

·         It was noted that was intended that it would be sent to Abingdon area grant recipients (those who had received a grant previously or who had expressed an interest in applying for a grant); it would be available on the web, at libraries and it would be provided to applicants.

·         A copy of the “layman’s version” of the prospectus should be included on the web.

 

Front Sheet

·         This was aimed at promoting some projects which would benefit the Abingdon Area.

 

Page 1

·         Transport should be  lower down in the document, although it was noted that the order was as per the Community Strategy.

 

Page 2

·         It might be that young groups would wish to undertake the consultation themselves.

·         Details should be included about existing communities.

 

Page 3

·         This seemed limited.  Details should cover existing groups and projects.

·         This could include priorities where the Committee did not wish to include anything new, rather a continuation of existing good work, with the sorts of projects highlighted.  However, there was no desire to discourage new applications.

·         In the priorities support for projects and events should be included but not services.

·         Greater use of the development control opportunities to secure open space was a matter for the Development Control Committee.  It was noted that this was included in the Community Strategy.  It was suggested that the Development Control Committee should have regard to the priorities in the Community Strategy, although it was noted that the Strategy had been fed into the Local Plan.

 

Page 4

·         It was suggested that both priorities should apply to all age groups.

 

Page 5

·         It was noted that Sutton Courtenay Parish Council had been asked to undertake a survey for an action plan.  However, this had not been possible, not because of insufficient funding but because of insufficient volunteers to commit to the work.

·         The priority relating to projects which encouraged town centre shopping should be amended to “town centre economic and social activity.

 

Page 6

·         A priority should be added to include projects which enhance the built / green / natural environment.

·         Also there should be a priority to save energy / recycle / guard against the local environment.

·         It should be stated how the Committee would consider grant applications for works to trees and historic buildings.

·         “Improving the quality of the local environment” should be removed from the “why these priorities” column and included in the “priorities” column and within that details of the sort of projects supported should be added, with an emphasis on community benefit being specified.

 

Page 7

·         An example which might be included was the Abingdon Bridge which gave advice on housing.

 

Page 8

·         Delete reference to “database” and substitute with “information”.

 

Page 9

·         The priorities should not be age specific.  However, it was suggested that in targeting young people to exercise would hopefully set a life long pattern for them.

·         Exercise for all should be encouraged – it would benefit elderly people to remain healthy and it would encourage young people to take up exercise.

 

The Committee was asked to consider whether an Abingdon Area Forum should be convened to facilitate public consultation on the content of the prospectus.  It was suggested that a meeting of the Forum might be convened to launch the prospectus and that consultation on an agreed document was inappropriate.  Some concern was expressed at hosting one meeting of the Forum only.  Reference was made to the letter received from Sutton Courtney parish Council as referred to elsewhere in these minutes and it was commented that expectations might be raised and further meetings of the Forum would be necessary.

 

Some Members commented that they could not see the benefit of holding meetings of the Forum as those organisations that would attend would most likely be aware of the ability to apply for grant assistance and would do so in any event.

 

It was suggested that presentations by groups who had received grant assistance might be interesting and informative.

 

It was questioned whether it would be beneficial for presentations to be made to schools, perhaps by hosting multi youth forums.   It was reported that the extended school’s initiatives were gathering speed and presentations on grant aid might be possible through that avenue.

 

One Member commented that there seemed to be a general desire for meetings of the Forum and he questioned why they should not be held.  He commented that meetings of the Forum would be the vehicle for discussing new projects and initiatives.  However, the Committee was advised that the Council had agreed budget savings which required a 25% reduction in the number of meetings.  Having regard to this it was considered that a one-off meeting of the Forum to launch the prospectus might be beneficial. 

 

Consideration was given to strategic leadership and it was suggested that further consideration of this was needed at the next meeting of this Committee. 

 

RESOLVED

 

(a)        that the Head of Innovation and Enterprise in consultation with all Members of the Committee be delegated authority to redraft the prospectus based on the comments now made;

 

(b)               that the Head of Innovation and Enterprise be asked to prepare a separate “user friendly” guide on the Committee’s priorities for support to the local community in 2006/07 taking on board any advice from the Council’s Head of Communications, to be circulated to all Members of the Committee for comment, such a guide to include details of the finance available and an indication of the type of projects supported;

 

(c)        that the possibility of holding one meeting of the Abingdon Area Forum specifically to launch the prospectus in the autumn of 2006 be discussed at the next meeting;

 

(d)               that an item be included on the agenda for the next meeting asking the Committee to consider community leadership; and

 

(e)               that a presentation on the Extended School’s Initiative be made to the next meeting of the Committee.