Agenda item
Area Board Funding
To note the remaining budgets and to consider any applications for funding, as detailed in the attached report and summarised below:
Remaining Budgets:
|
Community Area Grant |
Older & Vulnerable |
Young People |
|
£24,876 |
£7,700 |
£21,248 |
Community Area Grants:
|
Ref/Link |
Grant Details |
Amount Requested |
|
Mere Snooker Club – towards new efficient halogen heaters |
£5,000 |
|
|
Tisbury and District Community Minibus Limited – towards purchase of new minibus with Vehicle Wheelchair Tail Lift |
£5,000 |
|
|
Chalke Valley Sports Centre – towards resurfacing of the multi-use games area |
£5,000 |
|
|
The Chalke Valley Fete Committee – towards infrastructure improvements for the show |
£3,000 |
|
|
Barford St Martin Community Fund – towards Barford St Martin Traffic Management Project |
£1,635 |
|
|
Grove Building Mere – towards provision of modern audio visual facilities in Grove Building Mere |
£5,000 |
|
|
Fovant Badges Society – towards Fovant Badges Diorama |
£1,000 |
|
|
Mere Footpath Group – towards equipment |
£440 |
|
|
Parish of Sacred Heart Tisbury and All Saints Wardour – towards proposed improvements to Sacred Heart Tisbury Parish Rooms |
£4,000 |
Older & Vulnerable Grants:
|
Ref/Link |
Grant Details |
Amount Requested |
|
Compton Chamberlayne PCC – towards their 4th annual concert |
£1,250 |
|
|
Silver Salisbury Group – towards Wilton drop in coffee mornings for older people |
£965 |
|
|
Barford St Martin Community Fund – towards Barford St Martin Village Summer Fete |
£212 |
Young People Grants:
|
Ref/Link |
Grant Details |
Amount Requested |
|
Semley Music Festival Community Group – towards Semley Music Festival |
£1,000 |
|
|
Fovant Youth Club – towards structured sports for the summer |
£500 |
Further information on the Area Board Grant system can be found here.
Minutes:
The Area Board noted the budgets remaining for allocation at the meeting and heard from representatives in attendance who gave a brief overview of, and were questioned about, their projects. It was noted that the Area Board did not have sufficient funding to award all the Community Area Grants in full, as they would be £1,299 overdrawn.
Community Area Grants
i. Mere Snooker Club
The sum of £1,100 was requested towards new efficient halogen heaters.
Cllr George Jeans left the room and did not participate in the discussion, or vote on, the application having declared a pecuniary interest.
During the discussion, some members stated that they would love to support the club but, considering the relatively small membership of 32 and the limited capital funding available, they felt that a smaller grant award would be appropriate. The Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager (SEPM) stated that she could try to help the club look for alternative sources of funding.
On the proposal of the Vice-Chairman, seconded by Cllr Richard Budden, it was resolved to make the:
Decision
To award Mere Snooker Club £220 towards new efficient halogen heaters.
Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2024/25. The Area Board awarded a lower than requested amount as it did not have sufficient funding to award all of the grants in full.
ii. Tisbury and District Community Minibus Ltd
The sum of £5,000 was requested towards a new minibus with a vehicular wheelchair chair lift.
On the proposal of The Vice-Chairman, seconded by the Chairman, it was resolved to make the:
Decision
To award Tisbury and District Community Minibus Ltd £5,000 towards a new minibus with a vehicular wheelchair lift.
Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2024/25.
iii. Chalke Valley Sports Centre
The sum of £5,000 was requested for resurfacing their multi use game area.
On the proposal of the Chairman, seconded by the Vice-Chairman, it was resolved:
Decision
To award Chalke Valley Sport Centre £5,000 towards resurfacing their multi use game area.
Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2024/25.
iv. Chalke Valley Fete Committee
The sum of £1,750 was requested towards infrastructure improvements for the show.
Representatives from Chalke Valley Fete explained that, although they had originally requested £3,000, they were now only £1,750. The money would go towards improving safety and providing an electrical supply to the far end of the site.
During the debate, the Area Board welcomed the proposal and felt that it would be a good event. However, some members expressed reservations about funding the requested amount due to an increase in the number of one-off events requesting funding. It was noted that the Area Board had funded the event the previous year, so concerns were raised about setting a precedent of providing funding over multiple years when similar events in other parishes had not received funding.
The Area Board agreed that they should develop a framework for future grant applications to support start-up costs and allow events to become self-sustaining.
On the proposal of the Vice-Chairman, seconded by Cllr Pauline Church, it was resolved:
Decision
To award Chalke Valley Fete Committee £600 towards infrastructure improvements for the show.
Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2024/25. A lower than requested amount was awarded as the Area Board had concerns about funding events over multiple years and had a limited budget remaining.
v. Barford St Martin Community Fund
The sum of £1,635 was requested towards the Barford St Martin Traffic Management Project.
Morag Walker from Barford St Martin Community Fund explained that the funding would go towards the purchase of a speed indicator device (SID).
As parish councils were not able to apply to the Area Board for Community Area Grant funding, questions were asked about how the community fund operated and its relationship with Barford St Martin Parish Council. The community fund representative explained that the parish council had consulted on their precept with residents and that they had not felt able to increase it. The community fund had been established to support independent projects and had carried out lots of fundraising, including at the village fete. They contributed to a number of projects aligned with the aims of Wiltshire Council.
During the debate, the Area Board recognised the importance of road safety and noted that they were sympathetic to the project. One member expressed concerns about the application, given that the Area Board’s Local Highway and Footway Improvement Group (LHFIG) did not accept applications from parish councils for SIDs. Other members noted that the Area Board had supported SID applications in the past and noted that the application met grant criteria.
The Area Board agreed that they would also review the process for future SID applications when they were reviewing their procedure for applications to support one off events.
On the proposal of the Chairman, seconded by Cllr Church, it was resolved:
Decision
To award Barford St Martin Community Fund £1,635 towards the Barford St Martin Traffic Management Project.
Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2024/25.
vi. Grove Building Mere
The sum of £5,000 was requested towards the provision of modern audio-visual equipment.
On the proposal of Cllr Jeans, seconded by the Cllr Budden, it was resolved:
Decision
To award the Grove Building Mere £5,000 towards the provision of modern audio-visual equipment.
Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2024/25.
vii. Fovant Badges Society
The sum of £1,000 was requested towards Fovant Badges Diorama.
Jose Green, Chairman of Fovant Badges Society, explained that they would be providing £8,000 of the £10,000 cost and that a diorama was an information board that would be placed in a layby to display the history of the badges.
On the proposal of the Chairman, seconded by Cllr Jeans, it was resolved:
Decision
To award Fovant Badges Society £1,000 towards a diorama.
Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2024/25.
viii. Mere Footpath Group
The sum of £440 was requested for equipment.
On the proposal of Cllr Jeans, seconded by the Vice-Chairman, it was resolved:
Decision
To award Mere Footpath Group £440 towards equipment.
Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2024/25.
ix. Parish of Sacred Heart Tisbury and All Saints Wardour
The sum of £4,000 was requested towards proposed improvements to Sacred Heart Tisbury Parish Rooms.
Robert, the treasurer of Sacred Heart Tisbury Parish Rooms, explained that it was a small parish room and was used by the wider community. The room was refurbished in the 1960s and had been divided by a stud wall.
During the discussion, it was noted that the parish would also be funding a much larger project to refurbish the flat above the parish room. The Area Board were keen to support the refurbishment of the parish room but felt that a figure of £1,000 would be appropriate given its size.
On the proposal of the Vice-Chairman, seconded by Cllr Budden, it was resolved:
Decision
The Area Board awarded the sum of £1,000 to Parish of Sacred Heart Tisbury and All Saints Wardour for improvements to Sacred Heart Tisbury Parish Rooms.
Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2024/25. The Area Board only had limited funding available for the remainder of the financial year.
Older and Vulnerable Adult’s Grants
x. Compton Chamberlayne Parochial Church Council
The sum of £1,250 was requested towards their fourth annual concert.
A representative from the Parochial Church Council explained that their concert would be more ambitious than in previous years and would host international class performers.
During the discussion, the Area Board praised the high-quality event and spoke of their admiration for the arts and bringing them to a new audience. However, it was noted that the Area Board’s Health and Wellbeing Group were not supportive of awarding the application as they had reservations about the cost and wider community benefit.
On the proposal of the Chairman, seconded by Cllr Jeans, it was resolved:
Decision
To award Compton Chamberlayne Parochial Church Council £750 towards their fourth annual concert.
Reason: The application met the Older and Vulnerable Adult’s Grant Criteria 2024/25. A lower than requested amount was awarded as the Area Board were keen to support the arts but concerns about the wider community benefit.
xi. Silver Salisbury Group
The sum of £965 was requested towards drop in coffee mornings for older people in Wilton.
Cllr Church observed that there were five care homes in Wilton and they would be a valuable opportunity for people unable to travel long distances. It was noted that the applicant had attended the Area Board’s Health and Wellbeing Group who were very supportive.
On the proposal of the Cllr Church, seconded by the Chairman, it was resolved:
Decision
To award Silver Salisbury Group £965 towards drop in coffee mornings for older people in Wilton.
Reason: The application met the Older and Vulnerable Adult’s Grant Criteria 2024/25.
xii. Barford St Martin Community Fund
The sum of £212 was requested towards Barford St Martin Village Fete.
Morag Walker from Barford St Martin Community Fund explained that revenue from the fete was used to support projects, including those that supported wildlife and biodiversity.
During the discussion, the Area Board complemented the project. They also reiterated the desirability of annual fetes being self-funding in the longer term and that they would review their processes for these types of application.
On the proposal of the Chairman seconded by the Cllr Church, it was resolved:
Decision
To award Barford St Martin Community Fund £212 towards Barford St Martin Village Summer Fete.
Reason: The application met the Older and Vulnerable Adult’s Grant Criteria 2024/25.
Young People’s Grants
xiii. Semley Music Festival Community Group
The sum of £1,000 was requested for Semley Music Festival
The SEPM confirmed that although the community group were awarded funding at the previous meeting, they were able to bid again.
On the proposal of Cllr Church, seconded by Cllr Jeans, it was resolved:
Decision
To award Semley Music Festival £1,000.
Reason: The application met the Young People’s Grant Criteria 2024/25.
xiv. Fovant Youth Club
The sum of £500 was requested towards structured sports for the summer.
On the proposal of the Chairman, seconded by Cllr Jeans, it was resolved:
Decision
To award Fovant Youth Club £500 towards structured sports for the summer.
Reason: The application met the Young People’s Grant Criteria 2024/25.
Information links: Area Board Grants and Grants Criteria
Supporting documents:
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