Agenda and minutes

No apologies for absence were received.

No substitutions were declared.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 16 September 2015 (copy attached).

The minutes of the meeting held on 16 September 2015 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Projects supported so far this financial year 2015/2016 are as follows:

·         Kedington Parish Council - £6,166.67

          Improvements to Community Centre

·         Horringer cum Ixworth Community Council - £7,809.00

          Energy Efficiency Improvements

·         Stanton Bowls Club - £3,350.00

          Floor Renovation

·         Barrow Town Estate Rooms -£10,000.00

          Establish a new community facility

·         Clare Country Park Trust - £4,350.00

          Kitchen and Toilet Refurbishment

The scheme is a rolling programme with a remaining budget of £23,668.33 of unallocated funds.

The Working Party is asked to NOTE the above update on the Rural Initiatives Grant Scheme.

The Working Party received and noted a narrative item which provided an update on the Rural Initiatives Grant Scheme (RIGS).

Members noted the projects supported so far in 2015/2016 and the amount of grant funding allocated to them, as outlined in the narrative item.  The total amount of unallocated RIGS funding remaining in 2015/2016 was £23,668.33

(Councillor Margaret Marks arrived during the consideration of this item.)

Report No: GWP/SE/15/004

Members are invited to individually score the Community Chest applications prior to the meeting which may aid discussion.

The Working Party considered Report No: GWP/SE/15/004, which sought approval for a number of applications submitted for Community Chest funding in the 2016/2017 financial year.  The recommendations of the Grant Working Party would be considered by Cabinet on 8 December 2015 for approval.

Applications for Community Chest funding for 2016/2017 closed on 30 September 2015. A total of 21 applications had been received from a wide variety of organisations as detailed in Appendix 1 to Report No: GWP/SE/15/004. The Community Chest budget for 2016/2017 was £281,483 and applicants could apply for a maximum of three years.  Grants recommended for 2017/2018 and onwards would be subject to the budget setting process.

The officers reported that since the publication of the agenda and papers for this meeting, REACH and Suffolk West Citizens Advice Bureau had confirmed that their applications of £5,000 and £182,500 respectively were amounts for each year for three years and not for one year, as stated in the report.

Following discussions previously held with the Chairman of the Working Party, it was felt that four of the applications received (listed below and attached as Appendices 19 to 22 of the report) were not considered to be appropriate for Community Chest funding.  It had been suggested that the Families and Communities Team worked with these organisations to source alternative funding.  These alternative sources could be from other St Edmundsbury funds, such as the Rural Initiative Grants Scheme or Councillor Locality Budgets, or from external sources such as Suffolk Fit Villages, sport’s national governing bodies, such as Sport England and the Suffolk Community Foundation. 

Appendix 19: Coffee Caravan                        

Appendix 20: Eastgate Amateur Boxing Club              

Appendix 21: Rojo Art Projects                      

Appendix 22: St Edmundsbury Sailing and Canoeing Association

The Working Party considered that whilst there was some merit in the application from St Edmundsbury Sailing and Canoeing Association and that this submission in particular should be directed to other funding sources, this was a sensible approach.

Each application, including those felt more appropriate for alternative funding sources, had been summarised with the full applications attached as appendices to the report.  Each application was required to be evaluated in accordance with the eligibility and selection criteria set out in Appendix 24, and was considered in turn as follows:

Appendix 2: YMCA Suffolk

It was considered the project would not satisfactorily achieve a facility that would be regularly used by young people and it was felt that the application amount of £47,977 each year for two years could be better spent on youth facilities elsewhere. 

All agreed not to support any funding to this project.

Appendix 3: Young People of the Year - Befriending

The Working Party considered the concept of the project was acceptable; however the application lacked specific detail and the proposed administration costs appeared to be excessive.  Members considered their efforts should be consolidated with other existing organisations.

All agreed not to support any funding to this project.

Appendix 4: Hopton Day Care Centre

(Councillor Jim Thorndyke declared a local non-pecuniary  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28.

No further meetings have been arranged for the 2015/2016 civic year.  Subject to the agreement of the outgoing Chairman, meetings will be arranged for 2016/2017 in due course and the Grant Working Party will be duly notified of confirmed dates and times accordingly.

The Working Party agreed that no further meetings should be arranged for the 2015/2016 civic year.  Subject to the agreement of the outgoing Chairman, meetings would be arranged for 2016/2017 in due course and the Grant Working Party would be duly notified of confirmed dates and times accordingly.