Agenda item

Report No:   CAB/WS/20/007

Portfolio Holder: Cllr Robert Everitt           Lead Officer: Davina Howes

 

RESOLVED:

That:

 

1.       the allocation of Community Chest funding for 2020/2021, as previously approved in 2018/2019 as part of two-year funding agreements, be noted, (papers EXC/SA/18/013 and 014 refer) namely:

 

a.       Bury Drop in          £12,288

b.       Fresh Start – New Beginnings    £11,600

c.       Gatehouse            £10,000

d.       Haverhill Community Trust (separate project to that listed in (2)(l) below.) £25,168

          e.       REACH (separate project to that listed in 3(a)below) £9,360

          f.       Relate (separate project to that listed in 3 (b) below.)£2,000

g.       Suffolk Accident Rescue Service (SARS) £5,000

h.       The Voluntary Network – Community Transport

            (separate project to that listed in 4 (u) below.) £15,800

i.        The Voluntary Network – Connect and Support

          (separate project to that listed in 4 (u) below.) £17,961

 

2.       the allocation of Community Chest funding for 2020/2021, be approved, namely:

 

a.       Befriending Scheme – Haverhill Community Kitchen £4,420

b.       Second Chance Stroke Group    £3,500

c.       Steel Bones  £3,500

d.       Suffolk Mind £4,500

e.       Sharing Parenting – Special Needs (separate project to that listed in 4(j) below) £17,000

f.       Suffolk Cruse Bereavement Care         £8,000

g.       Alumah CIO £5,870

h.       West Suffolk Citizens Advice – across West Suffolk

(separate project to that listed in 4(k) below) £240,000

i.        HomeStart Mid and West Suffolk – Sensory (separate project to that listed in 4(m) below)          £14,000

j.        Our Special Friends          £3,500

          k.       Bury Theatre Workshop   £4,000

l.        Haverhill Community Trust  (separate project to that listed in 1(d) above) £14,750

m.      Newmarket Day Centre CIO       £10,000

n.       The Erskine Centre, Chedburgh£5,000

o.       The Turner Hall, Newmarket      £5,000

 

3.       Subject to the budget setting process for 2021/2022, and subject to the satisfactory submission of evidence-based reports detailing the benefits and success of each individual project in 2020/2021, the allocation of Community Chest funding for 2020/2021 and 2021/2022, be approved, namely:

 

2020/21                2021/22

 

a.            REACH                   £10,000                £10,000

(separate project to that

listed in 1(e) above)

 

          b.       Relate                    £4,500                  £5,000

(separate project to that

listed in 1 (f) above)

 

4.       No Community Chest funding for 2020/2021 be awarded to:

 

a.       Art Branches;               

b.       Castle Fields Pre-School;  

c.       Fine not Fine;            

d.       Memories and Golden Community Hub;

e.       St Nicholas Hospice Care;

f.       Suffolk Young People’s Health Project;

g.       The Reader;

h.       Best Before;

i.        EPIC Dad;

j.        Sharing Parenting – Community Outreach (separate project to that listed in 2(e) above);

k.       West Suffolk Citizens Advice – Outreach (separate project to that listed in 2(h) above);

l.        Green Light Trust;

m.      Home-Start Mid and West Suffolk – Volunteering (separate project to that listed in 2 (i) above);

n.       The Resume Foundation;

o.       Basketball Outreach;

p.       Clare Swimming Club;

q.       Couch Casters;

r.       Mildenhall Girl Guides;

s.       The Kinetic Science Foundation;

t.       The Tree Appreciation;

u.       The Voluntary Network (separate project to that listed in 1(h) and (i) above);

v.       West Suffolk Hive CIC;

w.      All Saints Church – Cornerstone;

x.       Fledglings Pre-School, Brandon;

y.       Horringer Pre-School;

z.       Lakenheath Peace Memorial Hall;

aa.     Racing Centre, Newmarket; and

ab.     Risby Village Hall Charity Trust.

 

 

The Cabinet considered this report, which sought approval for the recommendations of the Grant Working Party following its consideration of applications for Community Chest funding in the 2020/2021 financial year.

 

Applications for Community Chest funding for 2020/2021 closed on 30 September 2019.  A total of 45 applications were received from a wide variety of organisations as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report.  The total value of the applications received was £911,806.33.

 

The Community Chest budget for 2020/2021 was £466,733. £109,177 of the 2020/2021 budget was committed in 2018 for second year funding, as listed in Appendix 1 and noted by the Cabinet. The remaining budget available for 2020/2021 was therefore £357,556.

 

There were a number of potential synergies between the applications and as such they were grouped into various categories as set out in section 2.3 of the report. Each application was required to be evaluated by the Working Party in accordance with the eligibility and selection criteria set out in Appendix 2 of the Grant Working Party report and was considered in turn.

 

Councillor Robert Everitt, Portfolio Holder for Families and Communities, drew relevant issues to the attention of Cabinet and commended the Grant Working Party for their sterling work. Before making any further comments, with the agreement of the Chair, he invited Councillor Jim Thorndyke, Chair of the Grant Working Party to provide a summary of their work.

 

Councillor Thorndyke informed Cabinet that the Working Party had met on three occasions in November 2019 to consider each application and to make appropriate recommendations for Community Chest funding (if any). The main challenge faced by the Working Party was that over £900,000 worth of funding had been applied for and following the removal from the 2020/21 budget of funding already allocated in 2018 as part of two year funding agreements, a budget of just over of £357,000 remained. A significant amount had been applied for by Citizens Advice, and therefore following a sizeable allocation to this organisation, the budget was depleted further for allocation to other applicants. 

 

Councillor Thorndyke explained that the Working Party planned to meet in March 2020 to consider how the consideration of the applications could be improved and how the scheme could be better communicated to organisations to try and reduce the number that were unfortunately turned down for Community Chest funding this year.

 

Councillor Thorndyke thanked the Working Party for its work and also officers from the Families and Communities team. He particularly commended the depth of knowledge for enabling organisations that were turned down or had a reduction in Community Chest funding to be signposted to alternative grant schemes and sources of funding. This provided some reassurance that projects may still come to fruition.

 

Councillor Everitt acknowledged the benefits to organisations of the discretionary Community Chest grant scheme and whilst the Council faced ongoing financial challenges, he was pleased that the scheme currently remained available to offer some help to eligible organisations. He recognised the extremely difficult task undertaken by the Working Party and in light of the constraints it had, he felt the Working Party had made appropriate recommendations.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That:

 

1.       the allocation of Community Chest funding for 2020/2021, as previously approved in 2018/2019 as part of two-year funding agreements, be noted, (papers EXC/SA/18/013 and 014 refer) namely:

 

a.       Bury Drop in          £12,288

b.       Fresh Start – New Beginnings    £11,600

c.       Gatehouse            £10,000

d.       Haverhill Community Trust (separate project to that listed in (2)(l) below.) £25,168

          e.       REACH (separate project to that listed in 3(a)below) £9,360

          f.       Relate (separate project to that listed in 3 (b) below.)£2,000

g.       Suffolk Accident Rescue Service (SARS) £5,000

h.       The Voluntary Network – Community Transport

                        (separate project to that listed in 4 (u) below.) £15,800

i.        The Voluntary Network – Connect and Support

          (separate project to that listed in 4 (u) below.) £17,961

 

2.       The allocation of Community Chest funding for 2020/2021, be approved, namely:

 

a.       Befriending Scheme – Haverhill Community Kitchen £4,420

b.       Second Chance Stroke Group    £3,500

c.       Steel Bones  £3,500

d.       Suffolk Mind £4,500

e.       Sharing Parenting – Special Needs (separate project to that listed         in 4(j) below) £17,000

f.       Suffolk Cruse Bereavement Care         £8,000

g.       Alumah CIO £5,870

h.       West Suffolk Citizens Advice – across West Suffolk

            (separate project to that listed in 4(k) below) £240,000

i.        HomeStart Mid and West Suffolk – Sensory (separate project to that listed in 4(m) below)          £14,000

j.        Our Special Friends          £3,500

          k.       Bury Theatre Workshop   £4,000

l.        Haverhill Community Trust (separate project to that listed in 1(d) above) £14,750

m.      Newmarket Day Centre CIO       £10,000

n.       The Erskine Centre, Chedburgh £5,000

o.       The Turner Hall, Newmarket      £5,000

 

3.       Subject to the budget setting process for 2021/2022, and subject to the satisfactory submission of evidence-based reports detailing the benefits and success of each individual project in 2020/2021, the allocation of Community Chest funding for 2020/2021 and 2021/2022, be approved, namely:

 

2020/21                2021/22

 

a.            REACH                   £10,000                £10,000

(separate project to that

listed in 1(e) above)

 

          b.       Relate                    £4,500                  £5,000

(separate project to that

listed in 1 (f) above)

 

4.       No Community Chest funding for 2020/2021 be awarded to:

 

a.       Art Branches;               

b.       Castle Fields Pre-School;  

c.       Fine not Fine;            

d.       Memories and Golden Community Hub;

e.       St Nicholas Hospice Care;

f.       Suffolk Young People’s Health Project;

g.       The Reader;

h.       Best Before;

i.        EPIC Dad;

j.        Sharing Parenting – Community Outreach (separate project to that listed in 2(e) above);

k.       West Suffolk Citizens Advice – Outreach (separate project to that listed in 2(h) above);

l.        Green Light Trust;

m.      Home-Start Mid and West Suffolk – Volunteering (separate project to that listed in 2 (i) above);

n.       The Resume Foundation;

o.       Basketball Outreach;

p.       Clare Swimming Club;

q.       Couch Casters;

r.       Mildenhall Girl Guides;

s.       The Kinetic Science Foundation;

t.       The Tree Appreciation;

u.       The Voluntary Network (separate project to that listed in 1(h) and (i) above);

v.       West Suffolk Hive CIC;

w.      All Saints Church – Cornerstone;

x.       Fledglings Pre-School, Brandon;

y.       Horringer Pre-School;

z.       Lakenheath Peace Memorial Hall;

aa.     Racing Centre, Newmarket; and

ab.     Risby Village Hall Charity Trust.