Agenda item

a.     Community Area Grants

To consider the following applications:

Capital

       i.          Sevington Victorian School award £5,000 towards new toilet facilities, conditional upon the balance of funding and planning permission being in place.

      ii.          Wiltshire Wildlife Trust Food Champions award £2,658 towards the Forces for Food project, conditional upon the balance of funding being in place.

    iii.          Victoria County History Trust award £929 towards the Chippenham History Project community web site. 

    iv.          Kington St Michael Village Hall award £1,250 towards a new shop floor, conditional upon the balance of funding being in place.

     v.           (Chippenham Christian Fellowship ) - the ONE place award £937 towards equipment for the ' One place' Youth community project.

    vi.          Benger Bears Forest School award £1,000 towards equipment for the Benger Bears Pre-School Chippenham.

  vii.          Grittleton Village Hall award £5,000 towards Access for All, Grittleton, Sevington and Leigh Delamare Village Hall, conditional upon the balance of funding being in place.

 viii.          SPARKS award £900 towards new mats and tables.

    ix.          Singing with Joy award £357 towards Percussion Instruments. 

     x.          St Nicholas Special School award £17,490 towards the Starfish Hydrotherapy Pool Car Park, conditional upon the balance of funding being in place.

    xi.          Chippenham Rifle and Pistol Club award £6,700 towards installing electric power supply to Chippenham Rifle and Pistol Club, conditional upon the balance of funding and planning permission being in place.

  xii.          Wilts & Berks Canal Trust award £4,902 towards the Pewsham Lock restoration- safe access equipment, conditional upon the balance of funding being in place.

Grants application packs are available on line at

www.wiltshire.gov.uk/areaboardscommunity grantsscheme.htm

 or from the Community Area Manager

The Community Area Manager (CAM), Victoria Welsh, introduced the report, drawing members attention to the balance of funding and the likely balance should all awards be successful.

The meeting’s attention was drawn to the fact that two applications were asking for more than normal limit of £5,000.

In response to a question from Councillor Scott, the CAM confirmed that on this occasion none of the applications had secured financial support from their respective Town or Parish Councils. The CAM will make a recommendation to the Area Board Team for the grant application process to be amended to include the question: Does this project have the support of your local Town or Parish Council? and that the issues as to whether the Area Board should insist that Town or Parish Councils are approached ahead of application to the Area Board could be looked at when the criteria is next reviewed. In the course of the discussion, it was clarified that the application from the Victoria County History Trust was for £929.

The Chair proposed that, subject to any questions or comments from Members, applications 1 – 9 and 12, be voted on together, as each application was within the £5,000 limit.

Councillor Jane Scott seconded the proposal, and there being no further comments, the meeting:

     i.          Sevington Victorian School - award £5,000 towards new toilet facilities, conditional upon the balance of funding and planning permission being in place.

    ii.          Wiltshire Wildlife Trust Food Champions - award £2,658 towards the Forces for Food project, conditional upon the balance of funding being in place.

  iii.          Victoria County History Trust - award £929 towards the Chippenham History Project community web site. 

  iv.          Kington St Michael Village Hall - award £1,250 towards a new shop floor, conditional upon the balance of funding being in place.

   v.          Chippenham Christian Fellowship - the ONE place award £937 towards equipment for the ' One place' Youth community project.

  vi.          Benger Bears Forest School - award £1,000 towards equipment for the Benger Bears Pre-School Chippenham.

vii.          Grittleton Village Hall - award £5,000 towards Access for All, Grittleton, Sevington and Leigh Delamare Village Hall, conditional upon the balance of funding being in place.

viii.          SPARKS - award £900 towards new mats and tables.

  ix.          Singing with Joy - award £357 towards Percussion Instruments. 

xii.            Wilts & Berks Canal Trust - award £4,902 towards the Pewsham Lock restoration- safe access equipment, conditional upon the balance of funding being in place.

Admin Note: Councillor Chris Caswill did not vote on this resolution in accordance with his declared interest.

The Chair invited the representatives from the two remaining applications to address the meeting. Following a discussion of the merits of the applications, the meeting,

   x.          St Nicholas Special School - award £17,490 towards the Starfish Hydrotherapy Pool Car Park, conditional upon the balance of funding being in place.

Reason for decision: support to a disadvantaged group

  xi.          Chippenham Rifle and Pistol Club - award £6,700 towards installing electric power supply to Chippenham Rifle and Pistol Club, conditional upon the balance of funding and planning permission being in place.

Reason for decision: Creating a new facility, seeking to increase membership for disabled and young people