Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence.

Councillors Matthew Barber, Sue Marchant, and Mike Murray had sent their apologies for absence. 

To adopt and sign as a correct record the minutes of the committee meeting held on 10 December 2012. 

RESOLVED: To adopt as a correct record the minutes of the committee meeting held on 10 December 2012 and agree that the chairman signs them. 

To receive any declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting.  

Councillors declared the following interests:

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.

None

Any statements, petitions and questions from the public under standing order 32 will be made or presented at the meeting.

The following members of the public made statements at the meeting:

(1)               Brian Morris made a statement in support of the grant application by the Chilton Village Hall Management Committee.  The intention was to install an induction loop to assist those with hearing difficulties, and to provide a portable stage.  

(2)               Charles Pappenheim spoke in support of East Hendred Parish Council’s application for a contribution towards a zip wire at the village playground.  The village had identified the need for something for older children to do and the parish council carried out a consultation, a zip wire was the preferred outcome.  

(3)               Lynn Coulson spoke on behalf of Wantage Silver Band in support of its application for a grant towards a car park on land at its headquarters at Tugwell Field.  The car park was also used by the Wantage Town Juniors Football Club and needed a new surface. 

(4)               Catriona Galbraith spoke on behalf of Letcombe Regis Tennis Club, requesting that the grant awarded in December 2012 to Letcombe Regis Parish Council was split between the parish council and the tennis club.  

To consider the head of corporate strategy’s report. 

The committee considered the head of corporate strategy’s report that set out details of seven applications for grants under the council’s capital community grants scheme.  Cabinet had allocated £29,904 to this area committee for capital grants in 2013/14 financial year, plus a carried forward balance of £6,754 that remained unspent from 2012/13.  This made a total of £36,658 available for the committee to allocate in the 2013/14 financial year. 

The committee considered the grant applications and awarded grants as set out below.  Councillors Jenny Hannaby and Janet Shelley left the room during the committee’s consideration of the applications from Wantage 'not just' Betjeman Festival and East Hendred Parish Council respectively as they had declared pecuniary interests in these items.  The committee was reminded of the council’s policy to award grants up to 50 per cent of the total project cost; the committee agreed to adhere to this policy. 

The committee recalled that at its last meeting, it had awarded £5,000 to Letcombe Regis Parish Council towards two new tennis courts.  The parish council had thanked the council for its grant but had requested that £1,670 of the grant was paid directly to Letcombe Regis Tennis Club.  This was due to other funding for the project being allocated directly to the tennis club and payments for the project would be split between the two organisations.  The committee supported this request. 

RESOLVED: To

(a)               approve the following grants:

(b)               amend the £5,000 grant awarded in December 2012 to Letcombe Regis Parish Council to be allocated as follows:

·        £3,330 to Letcombe Regis Parish Council

·        £1,670 to Letcombe Regis Tennis Club

None