Agenda and minutes

To elect a Chair of the Committee for the 2006/07 Municipal Year. 

RESOLVED

that Councillor Terry Cox be elected Chairman of the South East Area Committee for the 2006/07 Municipal Year. 

To elect a Vice-Chair of the Committee for the 2006/07 Municipal Year.  

RESOLVED

that Councillor Richard Farrell be elected Vice-Chair of the South East Area Committee for the 2006/07 Municipal Year. 

To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Jim Moley, David Phillips, Ginnie Stock, Richard Stone and Pam Westwood. 

To adopt and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 14 March 2006, (previously circulated with the Council Summons dated 17 May 2006). 

The minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 14 March 2006 were adopted and signed as a correct record, subject to resolution (c) in minute SE.21 'Community Grants' being amended in the 'Grant' column to read '£500 subject to a grant being award by either East or West Challow or Childrey Parish Council…' 

To receive any declarations of Personal or Personal and Prejudicial Interests in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting. 

In accordance with Part 2 of the Local Code of Conduct and the provisions of Standing Order 34, any Member with a personal interest must disclose the existence and nature of that interest to the meeting prior to the matter being debated.  Where that personal interest is also a prejudicial interest, then the Member must withdraw from the room in which the meeting is being held and not seek improperly to influence any decision about the matter unless he/she has obtained a dispensation from the Standards Committee.

Councillor Derek Verdin declared a personal and prejudicial interest in item 9 'Community Grants' regarding the grant application from the Wantage, Grove and District Twinning Association as he was its Secretary (minute SE.9 refers).  Councillor Jenny Hannaby declared a personal and prejudicial interest in the same item regarding an application from the same Twinning Association as she was Vice-Chairman of its German Group.  Councillor Hannaby also declared a personal interest in the application from the Camel Pre-School as she was a Governor of Stockham Primary School where the Pre-School premises were based.  Councillor Hannaby also declared a personal and prejudicial interest in the application from the Wantage Nursing Home Charitable Trust as she was a Trustee.  Councillor Joyce Hutchinson declared a personal and prejudicial interest in the application from the Camel Pre-School as she was Chairman of the Joint Steering Group managing the project.  Councillor Margaret Turner declared a personal interest in two applications in Harwell as she was the Ward Member: the Harwell Parochial Charities and the property called The Dell.  Finally, Councillor Terry Fraser declared a personal and prejudicial interest in the application from the Hendreds Twinning Group as he was a Committee Member. 

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

The Chairman agreed to accept one item as a matter of urgent business: a grant application from the Wantage Nursing Home Charitable Trust.  The reason this was urgent was because the Trust wished to proceed with the building scheme as soon as possible.  This item was considered as part of item 9 'Community Grants'. 

Any statements and/or petitions from the public under Standing Order 32 will be made or presented at the meeting.

None

Any questions from members of the public under Standing Order 32 will be asked at the meeting.

None

To receive and consider report 17/06 of the Strategic Director. 

(CouncillorDerek Verdin and Councillor Jenny Hannaby both declared personal and prejudicial interests in the application for a grant from the Wantage, Grove and District Twinning Association and in accordance with Standing Order 34, they left the meeting during its consideration.  CouncillorHannaby also declared a personal interest in the application from the Camel Pre-School and in accordance with Standing Order 34, she remained in the meeting during its consideration.  CouncillorHannaby also declared a personal and prejudicial interest in the application from the Wantage Nursing Home Charitable Trust and left the meeting during its consideration.  CouncillorJoyce Hutchinson declared a personal and prejudicial interest in the application from the Camel Pre-School and left the meeting during its consideration.  Councillor Margaret Turner declared personal interests in an application from the Harwell Parochial Charities and from the owners of a property called The Dell in Harwell.  She remained in the meeting during their consideration.  Finally, CouncillorTerry Fraser declared a personal and prejudicial interest in the application from the Hendreds Twinning Group and left the meeting during its consideration.) 

The Committee received and considered report 17/06 of the Strategic Director, which set out details of six applications for community grants.  The budget available to the Committee in 2006/07 was £29,273.88. 

The report set out detail of two twinning partnership grants payable under service level agreements.  Both Wantage, Grove and District Twinning Association and the Hendreds Twinning Group had to provide sufficient information to allow the grants to be paid.  It was noted that sufficient further information had now been provided and therefore the Committee considered that the grants could be paid as set out in the report.  Members asked that a list of service level agreements affecting the South East Area Committee's budget should be submitted to the next meeting.  It was noted that the only agreements committing sums from the Committee's budget were these two twinning partnerships.

The Committee then considered the community grants applications.  The urgent item, a grant application from the Wantage Nursing Home Charitable Trust, was also considered.  Members were aware of the need to bear in mind the limited budget resources to allocate to grant applicants.  Although Members wished to allocate higher grant awards, the budget for the year would not allow it. 

Members considered that the Committee's stance regarding applications from owners of historic buildings, adopted last year, should be continued for a further year due to the limited budget available.  The Committee would consider support for the preservation of listed historic buildings that were privately owned (outside the areas of the Wantage and Grove Joint Environmental Trusts) where the building had an element of community use.  Applications from owners of private buildings would be rejected if there was no community use of that building.  It was noted that one other Area Committee had adopted this stance.  As a result of this decision to continue the practice adopted last year, three applications for works to historic buildings were refused. 

Turning to the application  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

To receive and consider report 18/06 of the Strategic Director. 

The Committee received and considered report 18/06 of the Strategic Director regarding a draft prospectus to enable the Committee to target its grants.  The prospectus was designed to make potential applicants more aware of the Committee's priorities.  It was designed to fit in with the Vale Community Strategy, the priorities of which were drafted following an extensive community consultation. 

Members supported the production of this prospectus, believing that it summarised the Committee's priorities.  Members asked that it be amended to include the decision made earlier in the meeting that the Committee would consider support for the preservation of listed historic buildings that were privately owned (outside the areas of the Wantage and Grove Joint Environmental Trusts) where the building had an element of community use.  Applications from owners of private buildings would be rejected if there was no community use of that building.  Also, Members asked that the second bullet point under the heading 'Environment' should be amended to read 'additional street cleansing by the parish councils in the South East of the Vale, with the exception of Wantage and Grove'.  Members understood that Wantage and Grove had different arrangements with the Council. 

It was intended to publicise the prospectus and undertake a survey at the year end, asking for views from those groups which did not apply for grants during the year.  The outcome of this survey could be used to update the prospectus for the following year.  This way, the Area Committee could demonstrate its community leadership role by supporting projects that promoted community self-help and were consistent with the Vale Community Strategy's priorities.  The prospectus would be able to guide applicants and the Committee also but it was recognised that each application would be determined on its own merits.  The Committee would be free to support an application for a project not within the prospectus if it wished. 

It was noted that the Chair of the Executive had asked for all four Area Committee prospectuses to be submitted to the Executive to ensure consistency.  The Committee disagreed that the four Area Committee prospectuses should be the same.  Members considered that the Executive should be informed that the Committee had adopted its prospectus, which it believed best suited the priorities of the South East Area.  If the Executive believed that the Committee had missed anything, then the Committee would welcome any recommendation from the Executive for the prospectus to be further amended. 

RESOLVED

(a)        that the South East Area Committee's prospectus for community grants in 2006/07 be approved, as appended to these minutes; and

(b)        that the plan for creating awareness of the prospectus and monitoring its value, as set out in report 18/06, be approved. 

It was noted that the next meeting would be held on Tuesday 12 September 2006 at 7pm.  Members noted that Chief Inspector David Purnell of Thames Valley Police wished to attend the next meeting to give a presentation on the Neighbourhood Policing Plans.  Members agreed to allow this subject to it being limited to a short presentation. 

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