Issue - meetings

To receive and consider report 72/07 of the Strategic Director and Monitoring Officer. 

Introduction and Report Summary

The purpose of this report is to set out the budget position for the Executive Committee in respect of Community Grants and to invite Members to consider and determine the grant applications received. The Executive currently considers grant applications bi-annually. Executive considered applications in April 2007 and the next meeting, at which the consideration of grants is planned, will be in April 2008 at the beginning of the next financial year.

The contact officer for this report is Lorna Edwards, Community Strategy Officer (Tel: 01235 547626).

Recommendations

(a)              Members are asked to note that the Executive’s remaining budget for 2007/08 for Vale-wide grants is £5,914.

.

(b)              Members are asked to consider and determine the following grant applications and agree the Council agenda and priority:

(i)        Oxfordshire Association for the Blind, £5,000, towards the cost of services for blind and visually-impaired residents in the Vale, Social Agenda, Access priority

(ii)       South & Vale Carers Centre, £10,000, towards the cost of running the Outreach Service, Social Agenda, Access priority

(c)               Members are asked to consider and determine the following applications for funding from the Lottery and Other Grants Support Fund to release a grant from TOE (Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment) or WREN (Waste Recycling Environmental Ltd), noting that the Fund currently has an unallocated balance of approximately £22,500:

(iii)      Charney Hall and Field Trust, £5,000, to secure a TOE grant of £50,000, towards the redevelopment of Charney Village Hall;

(iv)      Sutton Courtenay Parish Council, £5,318.83, to secure a WREN grant of £48,353 towards phase 2 of the Village Hall refurbishment; and

(v)       Wootton and Dry Sandford Community Centre, £5,000, to secure a TOE grant of £50,000, towards the redevelopment of the Community Centre. 

(Time: 3.04pm to 3.17pm)

(Councillor Chris Wise declared a personal and prejudicial interest and in accordance with the revised Code of Conduct he made a statement to the meeting under Standing Order 32 (minute Ex.59 refers) and left the meeting immediately after making his representations and before this debate.) 

The Executive received and considered report 72/07 of the Strategic Director and Monitoring Officer, which set out two applications for community grants and a further three applications for grants under the Lottery and Other Grants Support Fund.  The Executive also heard from Councillor Alison Thomson who spoke in favour of the application from the South and Vale Carers Centre, supplementing the statement made by Eleanor Cowan earlier in the meeting. 

The Executive noted that it only had £5,914 remaining in its Community Grants budget for 2007/08 but had two applications seeking grants of £15,000.  Members debated how to split the remaining budget between the two worthy causes and by four votes to three decided to share the remaining budget equally. 

The Executive had a separate fund for applications which sought grants to provide matched funding.  Each of the three applications in this category received support.  In the case of Charney Bassett Village Hall, it was suggested that the Parish Council should be encouraged to increase its precept to raise further funds for this project.  In the case of Sutton Courtenay Village Hall it was suggested that the applicants might wish to approach the County Council for further assistance. 

RESOLVED

(a)       that the Executive’s remaining budget for 2007/08 for Vale-wide grants of £5,914 be noted;

.

(b)              that the following grant applications be approved, splitting the remaining budget equally (by four votes to three):

(i)        Oxfordshire Association for the Blind, £2,957 towards the cost of services for blind and visually-impaired residents in the Vale, Social Agenda, Access priority;

(ii)       South and Vale Carers Centre, £2,957 towards the cost of running the Outreach Service, Social Agenda, Access priority;

(c)               that the following applications for funding from the Lottery and Other Grants Support Fund to release a grant from TOE (Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment) or WREN (Waste Recycling Environmental Ltd) be approved:

(i)        Charney Hall and Field Trust, £5,000 to secure a TOE grant of £50,000, towards the redevelopment of Charney Bassett Village Hall (by seven votes to nil);

(ii)       Sutton Courtenay Parish Council, £5,318.83 to secure a WREN grant of £48,353 towards phase 2 of the Village Hall refurbishment (by seven votes to nil); and

(iii)      Wootton and Dry Sandford Community Centre, £5,000 to secure a TOE grant of £50,000 towards the redevelopment of the Community Centre (by seven votes to nil).