Agenda item

REPORT OF THE COMMUNITIES MANAGER

To update  the Committee on the activities and actions of the Communities Officer, to advise on the current expenditure and balances of the delegated budgets and to consider applications for grant funding.

RESOLVED:

(1)       That all grants be allocated from the 2016/17 carry over amount of £10,570, until it is depleted;

(2)       That the Committee endorses the actions taken by the Community Officer to promote greater community capacity and well-being for Hitchin;

(3)       That the Communities Officer be requested to start an maintain a list of future projects to be used by Planning Officers when negotiating for Section 106 contributions;

(4)       That the Monitoring Officer be requested to consider changes to the Council’s Constitution to allow small grants to be delegated to Area Committee Chairmen and Vice Chairmen where an event would take place prior to the next meeting of the Area Committee and that each Committee agree, on an annual basis, the parameters for that delegation.

(5)       That £2,000 be allocated from the 2016/17 base budget to provide a bench outside of Hitchin Town Hall.

REASON FOR DECISION: To keep Members of the Committee apprised of the latest developments in community activities in Hitchin.

The Communities Officer presented the report entitle Grants and Community Update and drew attention to the following:

Town Twinning Roses

The Ground Maintenance Team had offered some suggestions for the placement of the rose bushes that were due to be presented as follows:

Bancroft Gardens:

Hitchin Library;

The Biggin and

Smithsons Recreation Ground, although this was a little way out of the Town Centre.

If Members had any preferences or suggestions could they please advise both the Town Twinning Association and Communities Officer.

Mention had also been made of a plaque to be placed with the rose bushes to explain that they had been presented

The costs of planting, based on 20 rose bushes was £120 and the cost of any plaque would need to be paid for from the Area Committee budget, although maintenance of the rose bushes would come from the grounds maintenance budget.

Permission had also been given to use the ceremonial silver spade to plant the bushes.

Flagpoles

The Communities Officer had investigated the possibility of moving the flagpole from outside the British Legion building to a more suitable location, however officers had advised that this flagpole was not of a suitable condition to move it and that repairs would be more expensive than purchasing a new one.

Historical evidence had been found that there was once a flagpole in the Market Square and, following consultation with the Town Centre Manager regarding whether to reintroduce a flagpole in this area, it was decided that the most suitable place would be near the Cabbies Hut.

There was an existing flagpole, used by NHDC, on Hitchin Town Hall.

It would cost approximately £1,500 to purchase and install a new flagpole in the Market Square.

Members thanked the Communities Officer for her research regarding the flagpole but decided that the flagpole at Hitchin Town Hall should be used and that they did not wish any further work to be undertaken in respect of a flagpole in Hitchin Market Square.

Section 106 Contributions

The Communities Officer had been approached regarding a process for the Area Committee to have an input into suggestions for the allocation of future S106 funding.

Members were asked to contact the Communities Officers with any projects or requirements that are needed in an area. The Communities Officers would keep a list of these suggestions, which would then be fed into the Section 106 process if any planning applications for that area were submitted.

Members commented that MHDC should implement the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), as well as Section 106 contributions, so that every single dwelling, whether it was a single build or a housing estate, contributed to the infrastructure in that area.

The Committee and Member Services Officer reminded Members that Section 106 contributions could not be negotiated without a specific project to negotiate for.

Members were supportive of the idea to start a list of projects and asked the Communities Officer to do so.

Grant Applications

The Communities Officer advised Members that she had received no grant applications for this meeting and commented that organisations had only started to apply for funding for Christmas events after the deadline for this meeting. This meant that many of those events would take place before any decision could be made regarding grant funding.

Members commented that the number of meetings of this Committee had been reduced and smaller organisations were not always aware of the requirements and deadlines regarding grant finding. This meant that groups were sometimes disadvantaged and they queried whether authority for these grants could be delegated.

The Communities Officer advised that delegation of grant funding had ceased as it was not in the Council’s constitution to allow it to happen.

It was proposed and seconded that the Monitoring Officer be requested to consider changes to the Council’s Constitution to allow small grants to be agreed by Area Committee Chairmen and Vice Chairmen where an event would take place prior to the next meeting of the Area Committee and that each Committee agree, on an annual basis the parameters for that delegation.

Members were encouraged to speak to organisations to advise them that grant funding was available and that they should contact the Communities Officer for help and guidance, also to signpost them to their County Councillors as an alternative or additional grant funding source.

Bench outside Hitchin Town Hall

It had been agreed that a bench could be placed outside of Hitchin Town Hall. Two options were being considered, firstly to clean up the old bench and replace it and the other to purchase a new bench to be installed.

The estimated cost of purchasing a new bench and installing it was £2,000 and the Community Officer suggested that the Committee consider allocating this amount in the Committee Budget. If it was then possible to clean the old bench for less money the balance would be returned to the base budget.

Members were very supportive of this being moved forward as quickly as possible.

RESOLVED:

(1)       That all grants be allocated from the 2016/17 carry over amount of £10,570, until it is depleted;

(2)       That the Committee endorses the actions taken by the Community Officer to promote greater community capacity and well-being for Hitchin;

(3)       That the Communities Officer be requested to start an maintain a list of future projects to be used by Planning Officers when negotiating for Section 106 contributions;

(4)       That the Monitoring Officer be requested to consider changes to the Council’s Constitution to allow small grants to be delegated to Area Committee Chairmen and Vice Chairmen where an event would take place prior to the next meeting of the Area Committee and that each Committee agree, on an annual basis, the parameters for that delegation.

(5)       That £2,000 be allocated from the 2016/17 base budget to provide a bench outside of Hitchin Town Hall.

REASON FOR DECISION: To keep Members of the Committee apprised of the latest developments in community activities in Hitchin.