Agenda item

REPORT OF THE STRATEGIC DIRECTOR OF FINANCE, POLICY AND GOVERNANCE

To consider the reallocation of support funding previously assigned to the Baldock Town Centre Partnership to the newly formed Baldock Community Forum.

RESOLVED:

(1)        That the funding previously allocated to Baldock Town Partnership be withdrawn, as they have failed to provide appropriate accounts and information requested to support on-going provision of public money;

(2)        That funding be provided to the newly formed Baldock Community Forum CIC on a contractual basis to assist the revival, co-ordination and delivery of future town centre initiatives within the Baldock and District area;

(3)        That it be noted that the Chairman of the newly formed BCF is currently a serving Councillor, and that his action in making a personal deposit of £2,000 to help with start-up costs results in a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest, in relation to which he has sought appropriate advice from the Monitoring Officer; and

(4)        That funding be provided on the basis that it must all be used to support the community events and should the Chairman of BCF be seeking reimbursement of the personal deposit, it shall not be made from the Council’s grant.

REASON FOR DECISION: To ensure that community events & initiatives within Baldock and the surrounding area are maintained and enhanced to help secure and sustain town centre vibrancy and community cohesion.

The Executive Member for Community Engagement and Rural Affairs presented a report of the Strategic Director of Finance, Policy and Governance in respect of the future support and funding arrangements regarding the co-ordination of Town Centre initiatives and community events within Baldock.  The following appendices were submitted with the report:

Appendix A – Phased funding reductions to Town Centre Partnerships – March 2011; and

Appendix B – Business Plan: Baldock Community Forum CIC – May 2017.

The Executive Member for Community Engagement and Rural Affairs advised that the Council had, since 2007, financially supported Town Centre Partnerships by way of annual grants.  The intention had been to support the Partnerships to become established, with a long term view to them becoming self-financing.

The Executive Member for Community Engagement and Rural Affairs explained that unfortunately the Baldock Town Partnership had failed to comply with the agreed terms for use of the Council’s grant monies.  Accordingly, the Council’s Section 151 Officer (the Strategic Director of Finance, Policy and Governance) withdrew the Partnership’s grant funding in 2015/16, and subsequently no funding was put forward in 2017/18.

The Executive Member for Community Engagement and Rural Affairs stated that a new organisation had come into being in January 2017, namely the Baldock Community Forum Community Interest Company (CIC).  This organisation had requested to take on the unreleased accumulated support funding of £27,310 previously assigned to the Baldock Town Partnership through to March 2020.

The Executive Member for Community Engagement and Rural Affairs commented that one of the principals of the Baldock Community Forum CIC was a North Hertfordshire District Councillor.  Legal advice had been sought on this matter, and it had been made clear to the councillor that any re-imbursement of his personal deposit of £2,000 used to help the new organisation with start up costs should not be made from the Council’s grant monies.

The Executive Member for Community Engagement and Rural Affairs hoped that the Council’s Communities Team would monitor the new organisation closely to ensure that it operated in accordance with the agreed terms for use of the Council’s grant monies.

In response to a Member’s question regarding the Baldock Town Partnership, the Strategic Director of Finance, Policy and Governance advised that the Shared Anti-Fraud Service (SAFS) had investigated the matter, but had found no evidence that could be taken forward to prosecution.  The Council had withdrawn its funding for the Partnership as soon as it became aware that the Partnership was not submitting any accounts to substantiate its use of the funds received.

RESOLVED:

(1)        That the funding previously allocated to Baldock Town Partnership be withdrawn, as they have failed to provide appropriate accounts and information requested to support on-going provision of public money;

(2)        That funding be provided to the newly formed Baldock Community Forum CIC on a contractual basis to assist the revival, co-ordination and delivery of future town centre initiatives within the Baldock and District area;

(3)        That it be noted that the Chairman of the newly formed BCF is currently a serving Councillor, and that his action in making a personal deposit of £2,000 to help with start-up costs results in a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest, in relation to which he has sought appropriate advice from the Monitoring Officer; and

(4)        That funding be provided on the basis that it must all be used to support the community events and should the Chairman of BCF be seeking reimbursement of the personal deposit, it shall not be made from the Council’s grant.

REASON FOR DECISION: To ensure that community events & initiatives within Baldock and the surrounding area are maintained and enhanced to help secure and sustain town centre vibrancy and community cohesion.