Agenda item

·       Update on Youth activity arrangements.

·       Decision on the provision of bubble football.

·       Grant Funding.

Youth Budget – balance remaining for 2019/20 : £2000

Update on Youth activity arrangements

The Community Engagement Manager, Karen Linaker explained that at the beginning of the year the Board had £15,030 in the Youth Budget.

In May we went out to the youth groups across the community area to ask what provision of activities they had enjoyed and would like to see for the coming year.

As a result of that feedback, the Board committed £8630 to go towards commissioning the same Youth Activity Providers the Board had used before.

Unfortunately Active8 were now unable to provide for us this year, so instead District Sports had stepped in to provide sessions.

The Board had also previously earmarked £2100 for a new activity, ‘Bubble Football’. It was not decided at the last meeting how this would be delivered, whether the equipment would be hired in with facilitators or bought and given to the youth groups to use.

There was currently £2100 left unallocated in the Board’s Youth Budget.

Since the last meeting the Board had received a bid to the Youth Funding budget for £3352, as detailed in the report attached to the agenda.

The Board discussed the provision of Bubble Football and whether the way forward would be to hire or buy the equipment. If hired the CEM would assist by putting the youth clubs in contact with the organisations to make the arrangements.

Cllr McLennan asked what the comparison was in the cost of hire to buying, as he noted that the purpose was to save money.  Karen confirmed that a kit could be bought from £600, for bottom specification and then go up to £2000 for high end kit. We have 3 youth clubs, so the Board would need to decide how many sets we buy. Storage was also a consideration, however Karen advised that there was a reticence of the Youth leaders to run the activity themselves, as they would prefer to have a facilitator come in with the kit.

The hiring option did come with a facilitator, and £2100 would get you 6 hours, which divided between our three clubs would enable 2 hours per club.

Cllr Clewer added that if the equipment was purchased, there would be a need for a facilitator, and there were operating cost, maintenance and repairs to factor in.

The Chairman proposed that the decision on how to move forward with the provision of Bubble Football would need further consideration given the options available and moved that a decision take place out of the meeting, in consultation with all Board members and then fed back at the next Board meeting.

Decision

The Board would liaise with the CEM to consider the options for funding Bubble Football out of the meeting and feedback the outcome at the next meeting.

Grant Funding

The Board considered one bid for youth funding as detailed in the report attached to the agenda pack.

The applicant explained that the project worked across the wider south  Wiltshire area, involving 24 schools. Funding would enable the project to continue employing the mentors. Trafalgar School in Downton would be taking part from September 2019. 

Questions:

·       Trafalgar school have agreed to be in? Answer: Yes we have met with them and the funds would help us to get there. We don’t charge the schools any money as their budgets are cut so the pastoral needs do not suffer.

·       Was this more of a Health and Wellbeing provision rather than Youth? Answer: No. The H&W budget is for vulnerable adults or youth carers initiatives. You also have discretions as to how you use your funds.

·       The application stated that contributions from schools is £2k. Answer: We are exploring asking each school to contribute a small amount in the future.

·       The Board is supposed to use this budget for open access youth work, this is targeted youth work.

·       We have to contribute where we think the money would do the most good in our community. I would be happier if Trafalgar school was currently a part of it. I do see the merits of this, it is an extremely valuable provision for those going through a difficult time.

Cllr Britton moved the motion to refuse the application. This was seconded by Cllr Devine. 

Note: Cllr McLennan asked that his vote against refusal be noted in the Minutes.

Decision

The Area Board refused the application from the Bridge Youth Project towards the Mentoring Scheme project.

Reason

The project only benefits a small number of young people in the Southern Wiltshire Community Area.