Agenda item

To consider applications for funding from the Community Area Grants Scheme, as detailed in the attached report.

The Board considered five applications for funding from the Community Area Grant Scheme for 2018/19, as detailed in the agenda pack.

Applicants present were invited to speak in support of their projects. Following discussion, the Members voted on each application in turn.

Cllr Dean noted that the Community Kitchen application asked for above the standard £5,000 maximum usually considered by the Board. He recommended that a smaller amount of £5,000 be considered, this was seconded by Cllr Douglas.

Cllr Rogers asked whether there was an organisation behind the application which would benefit from the project financially? Answer: We are a community interest company, the kitchen would be locked into our company, if we folded, any assets would need to be handed over to another group.

Decision

The Any Body Can Cook Community Interest Company was awarded £5,000 towards the Community Kitchen Project.

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2018/19.

Cllr Hocking noted that he was disappointed when applicants were not present in person to support their applications when asking for funding.

The Chairman noted that the next applicant had also applied to the Southern Wiltshire Area Board and received funding of £1,625, as the club was accessed by both community areas.

Decision

The Salisbury City Marauders was awarded £1,625 towards the American Football Club project.

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2018/19.

Cllr Rogers left the room for the next application as he had declared an interest at the start of the meeting.

The Chairman drew attention to the amount requested and noted that it was over the standard £5,000 that was usually considered as a maximum by the Board.

Cllr Walsh then moved the motion to award £10,000, this was seconded by Cllr Dalton. That motion was not carried.

Cllr Dean noted that the Studio Theatre was in his ward. The freehold was until recently in WC possession however had recently been handed over to the Theatre in an asset transfer. The Theatre had been productive in raising funds for the first 3 phases. He did not feel that there were special circumstances that would justify the Board going above the £5,000, so moved the motion of a grant of £5,000. This was seconded by Cllr Douglas.

Decision

The Studio Theatre company was awarded £5,000 towards the Theatre Extension Project.

Reason  – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2018/19.

Decision

The South Wilts Cricket Club was awarded £2,500 towards a new artificial cricket wicket.

Reason  – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2018/19.

The next application had already been to Southern Wiltshire Area Board, as the applicant had been wrongly directed to that community area for funding. The site the path was on was within the part of the Riverdown development that sat within Cllr Brown’s ward, and therefore this application was now for consideration by Salisbury Area Board.

The Board discussed the appropriate route for funding a path scheme such as this. It was felt that the Area Board may not be the right place to fund it.

Cllr Brown noted that the he had been to the path and was in support of the work to finish off the path to improve safety, however was also unsure whether the Community Grant pot was the correct way forward.

The CEM clarified that the Board had discretion to fund out of any pot, if it felt there was good justification to support the decision.  The CATG and LYN sub Groups did not have decision making powers and made recommendations to the Board for ratification.

The Vice Chairman of Laverstock and Ford PC noted that they had been told that the Paths Improvement Grant Scheme (PIGS) had been moved in to the Boards remit, so it was them that could make the decision.

Cllr Dean noted that the PIGS pot had been discontinued and in future, path projects would need to be funded by discretionary grants from Boards or PCs. He felt that the two bodies that should step up to the plate for this were CATG and the PC. He added that he would prefer this money to be spent on properly constituted community groups.

Cllr Hocking as Chairman of the CATG added that he would struggle to support funding the project from the CATG budget given the small amount they had for the year.

The Board had worked with Officers to produce a list of pavements across the community area, in need of repair over the last year and funding had already been allocated to those works.

Cllr Walsh felt that the project did have a strong community interest, and would be of benefit to young people.

The applicant confirmed the community value for the area, as the project would benefit the 450 children at the school, and a new autism unit. The path was owned by Riverdown Park.

The Chairman moved the motion to award a token amount of £1,000, this was seconded by Cllr Brown.

Decision

Laverstock & Ford Parish Council was awarded £1,000 towards the resurfacing of a hoggin path extension to Greentrees Junior School.

Reason  – The Board was keen to prioritise small community groups, especially as the grant pot was reduced from last year.  Even if councillors were minded to fund a footway, there was already a backlog of pavements which councillors had identified as in need of repair.  The Board agreed to fund a contribution, noting that this was the third time the applicant had applied to an Area Board, and that it had met with barriers in accessing funding.

Note: Cllr Dean agreed to check whether SCC had ever received developer contributions from the site and if so would then invite an application for funding to SCC.  If however it was found that the developer contributions had gone to L&FPC, he suggested that they reconsider funding the remainder of the project from that.