Decision details

Community Grants Scheme - Round 1

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Decisions:

The Council’s Community Grants Scheme (CGS) made provision for up to £130,000 per annum to be made available to community groups or organisations that met the grants criteria of the Scheme.  The Panel had delegated authority to grant awards up to £500 and had approved £500 to Strive Café for the renovation of a room to be used at the café.  In addition, £15,000 had been allocated to the HAIRE project for year 2, leaving a total of £114,500.  The Panel met to consider two rounds of grants, in July (Round 1) and February (Round 2).

 

Round 1 of the Rother CGS for 2020/21 closed on 15 July 2020.  A total of six applications were received.  Two applications did not meet the CGS criteria, and those applicants were being encouraged to seek advice from Rother Voluntary Action before a new application was submitted.  The Panel met on 27 July 2020 and recommended awards for four applications from Bexhill Environment Group, Ewhurst and Staplecross Village Hall, Little Common Football Club and Ticehurst Parish Council, as set out in the report.  (Each application was summarised in Appendix A to the report.)  If agreed, this would result in a maximum of £24,534 being awarded in Round 1, leaving £89,966 for Round 2 and other small grants for the remainder of the financial year 2020/21.  Round 2 of the Community Grants Scheme (applications above £500) would open for applications on 1 October 2020 and close on 15 January 2021.

 

Members agreed with the Panel’s recommendation that it should be mandatory for all grant applications to have the written support of at least one Ward Member from the relevant area and that the Panel’s Terms of Reference, attached at Appendix B to the report, be amended to reflect this change. Information concerning the Scheme would be circulated to all Members in due course to assist with its promotion.

 

RESOLVED: That:

 

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

 

Bexhill Environmental Group – £1,500

Ewhurst and Staplecross Village Hall – £1,234

Little Common Football Club – £20,000

Ticehurst Parish Council – £1,800

 

2)         the amended Terms of Reference for the Community Grants Panel, at Appendix B to the report be approved; and

 

3)         all Members to promote the small grants scheme within their wards.

Publication date: 18/09/2020

Date of decision: 07/09/2020

Decided at meeting: 07/09/2020 - Cabinet

Effective from: 18/09/2020

Accompanying Documents: