Agenda item

To consider the report of the head of corporate strategy. 

The committee considered the head of corporate strategy’s report that set out details of the new homes bonus community funding scheme.  The cabinet member for grants had approved the policy and procedure and delegated authority to the four area committees to determine the grant applications.  The Council had set a budget of £100,000 for this scheme.  The apportionment between the area committees was based on the amount of housing growth in each area from April 2008 to March 2013.  In the south east area of the district, 647 new homes had been built in this five-year period, equating to a budget of £31,400 for the committee to award to applications under this scheme in the current financial year. 

The committee noted that the council’s chief finance officer had advised that any new homes bonus community funding that was not awarded by the end of this financial year could not be carried forward to the following year’s budget.  However, the published draft budget for 2014/15 included a proposal for a further £100,000 new homes bonus community funding, for apportionment between the four area committees. 

The committee carefully considered each application under this scheme.  Ten applications had been received.  The committee assessed these against a high, medium or low ranking for each parish, dependent on the number of new homes completed in the qualifying five-year period.  Those parishes with the most new homes were awarded a ‘high’ ranking.  The committee used this as a guide to prioritise the applications but was not bound by it. 

The committee considered the application by Wantage and Grove Campaign Group but was not convinced of the need for this project, believed it was premature, and suggested that there could be other more appropriate funding sources locally.  The committee also considered that the application by Childrey Parish Council was inappropriate for this scheme. 

Councillors John Amys, Charlotte Dickson, St John Dickson, Jenny Hannaby, Sue Marchant, and Fiona Roper each declared an interest in the grant application by the Wantage and Grove Joint Economic Forum and Councillor John Amys declared an interest in the grant application by Grove Parish Council.  During consideration of these applications, those councillors left the room. 

RESOLVED: to

(a)       approve the following applications for new homes bonus community funding:

(b)       refuse the following applications for new homes bonus community funding: