Decision details

Community Grant Scheme - Round 2

Decision Maker: Cabinet

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Decisions:

The Council’s Community Grant Scheme (CGS) made provision for up to £130,000 per annum to be made available to community groups or organisations that met the specific grant criteria of the Scheme.  In September 2019, Cabinet awarded a total grant of £67,541 including £500 through the Small Grants Scheme, £10,000 towards Victory in Europe Day celebratory events and £15,000 towards the Healthy Aging and Innovation in Rural Europe project.  Therefore the opening balance of the Rother CGS was £36,959.  Round 2 for 2019/20 closed on the 15 January 2020; 11 applications had been recommended for approval, subject to specific conditions as detailed within the report.

 

Cabinet was reminded that conditions were applied when awarding grants; specifically, that full funding was required to be obtained in advance of any Rother payments being made and that Rother District Council was acknowledged in any publicity and promotional material associated with any project.  It was noted that the total amount committed from the overall budget would be £171,008, an overspend of £41,008.  After discussion, Cabinet approved all 11 grants and agreed that the shortfall be funded from the Medium Term Financial Plan earmarked reserves.  It was noted that the final shortfall may be less than the £41,008 as not all projects would proceed to delivery and completion.

 

Members thanked the officers and Panel members for their work in supporting the community grants process.  It was noted that the level of match-funding brought into the projects as a result of this Council’s funding was calculated every year and this information would be made available to Members in due course.  

 

Members were also keen to explore alternative funding methods such as a local lottery, use of local Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) money or crowd funding and tasked the Community Grants Panel to consider these other options and report back to the CIL Steering Group and ultimately Cabinet in due course.

 

RESOLVED: That:

 

1)    the Community Grants listed below, as recommended by the Grants Panel be approved, subject to specific conditions relating to each application:

 

Battle Community Singers – £1,400

Battle Memorial Hall – £4,000

Camber Parish Council – £29,340

Hastings & Rother Furniture Service – £7,350

Robertsbridge Cricket Club – £10,000

Stonegate Village Hall – £6,000

St. James The Great Church – £5,000

Strandliners – £877

The Archive Resource Centre, Pett Village Hall – £3,000

Camber Memorial Hall – £5,000

Battle Local Action Planning Group – £5,000;

 

2)    should each application proceed to delivery and completion, any resulting shortfall be funded from the Medium Term Financial Plan earmarked reserve; and

 

3)    the Community Grants Panel be requested to review the Community Grants Scheme and consider alternative funding methods such as a local lottery, use of local Community Infrastructure Levy money or crowd funding and report back to the CIL Steering Group and ultimately Cabinet in due course.

 

(Councillor Mrs Cook declared a personal interest in this matter in so far as she was involved with the Battle Community Singers and in accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct remained in the room during consideration thereof).

Publication date: 13/03/2020

Date of decision: 09/03/2020

Decided at meeting: 09/03/2020 - Cabinet

Effective from: 21/03/2020

Accompanying Documents: