Issue - meetings

To receive and consider report 152/07 of the Head of Community Strategy and the Monitoring Officer.

Introduction and Report Summary

The purpose of this report is to set out the current budget position for this Committee in respect of Community Grants in 2007/08, to invite Members to consider and determine the grant applications received since the last meeting and to agree a principle for awarding grants for additional parish cleansing; following full Council on 27^th February officers will give a verbal report on the community grants budget for the South East Area Committee in 2008/09.

Recommendations

(a) Members are asked to note that the Committee’s remaining budget for 2007/08 is £8,635.88

(b) Members are asked to consider and determine the grant application, the agenda

     and the Council priority in respect of the following:

(i)   Wantage Counselling Service, £2,500, towards the cost of providing a counselling service to low-income Vale residents, Social Agenda, Access priority

(ii)  Charney Hall and Field Trust, £10,000, towards the redevelopment of Charney Village Hall, Environmental Agenda, Town & Village Vitality priority

(iii) GroveChurch of England Primary School, £3,000, towards the creation of a sensory garden, Environmental Agenda, Town & Village Vitality priority

(iv) Wantage Summer Festival 2008, £3,500, towards the cost of organising the festival, Social Agenda, Town & Village Vitality priority

(c)     Members are asked to note the South East Area Committee’s budget for

         2008/09

(d)     Members are invited to request that the Executive approves the carrying forward        

         of any unspent grant budget from 2007/08 into 2008/09

(e)     Members are asked to determine their principle for awarding grants for

additional parish cleansing in 2008/09 and invited to determine these grants to be paid from the 2008/09 budget

(f)      Members are asked to determine the grant application from Wantage Summer

Festival 2008 from the 2008/09 budget, as the event will begin before the next meeting of this Committee, and to determine the Agenda and Council priority for this application

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

(Councillor Julia Reynolds had declared a personal and prejudicial interest in this item, in particular the application from the Wantage Summer Festival. In accordance with Standing Order 32, she left the meeting during its consideration.)

The Committee received and considered report 152/07 of the Head of Community Strategy and the Monitoring Officer. 

A statement was made by a member of the public earlier in the meeting to which the Committee had regard when considering the applications.

Each of the applications were considered in detail and the following comments were made:-

 Wantage Counseling Service

The Community Strategy Officer advised the Committee that this grant application was towards half of the resulting deficit attributable to low income clients residing in the Vale.

Members agreed that this was a worthwhile cause and the service was desperately needed in the area.

Charney Hall and Field Trust

It was noted that the Trust had raised £12,000 towards this project. Members considered that this was commendable. The Committee was sympathetic to the plight of villages that were at risk of losing facilities and noted that it was expensive to ensure that village halls complied with health and safety regulations.

Grove Church of England Primary School

One Member commented that this was an exciting project. Another Member advised the Committee that it was important as a showcase for sustainability and would be a useful tool in educating people about climate change. One Member questioned whether the School should be approaching other bodies for funding, such as Sure Start.

Wantage Summer Festival (to be determined out of 2008/09 budget)

The Committee was asked to consider a grant towards the cost of publishing promotional material. Some Members questioned whether the Festival had raised any of its own funds, and felt that this should be encouraged. It was explained that this was an umbrella group for individual arts groups which would be involved in the festival. Several Members considered that it was important, in view of the budget decreasing, that groups were encouraged to raise their own funds, in addition to applying for grants.

Parish Cleansing Grants

The Committee considered the Officer’s report. Officers explained that in the case of West Hendred, if the principle were used the grant would be £115, however only £50 was requested and therefore this was the amount awarded.

Officers further advised that the total cost estimate for Milton at £1060.00 should have been £1148.16 which accounted for the increase in the grant awarded when applying the principle.

RESOLVED

(a)       that it be noted that the Committee’s remaining budget for 2007/08 is £8,635.88.

(b)         that the grant applications are determined as follows:-