Agenda item

REPORT OF THE POLICY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 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: That the actions taken by the Community Officer to promote greater community capacity and well-being for the Baldock be endorsed.

REASONS FOR DECISION:

(1)       To ensure the Committee is kept informed of the work of the Community Engagement Officer;

(2)       This report is intended to inform Members of the financial resources available to the Committee. It draws attention to the current budgetary situation by assisting in the effective financial management of the Area Committee’s budget. This ensures that all actions are performed in line with the Authority’s Financial Regulations, the Council’s Constitution, and the guidance of the existing Grants policy as agreed by Cabinet in January 2020;

(3)       The awarding of financial assistance to voluntary organisations and the use of discretionary spending allows the Committee to further the aims of the Council Plan.

The Community Engagement Officer presented the report entitled Grants and Community Update, including:

·                The Community Engagement Officer provided Members with a breakdown of funding available to the Committee as detailed at Paragraph 7.3 on page 8 within the report;

·                At next meeting of the Baldock and District Committee scheduled for March 2021, there were two groups expected to attend to ask for a Grant – those groups were Baldock Scouts and a Conservation Group in Ashwell;

·                The Community Engagement Officer asked Members to contact him if they knew of any groups that needed a grant;

·                The Baldock Beast Half Marathon was the only event to be held during 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic;

·                The Christmas Fair did not take place owing to the pandemic. However, the Christmas lights switch-on took place on 5 December 2020 as a virtual event.

Councillor Jim Mcnally reported at this stage that the Baldock Events Forum were holding a virtual Christmas Fayre in lieu of a physical Christmas Fayre. Small, local businesses were due to advertise on the Baldock Events Forum website and people were able to shop online, helping to support local businesses.

Councillor Jim Mcnally further added to the Community Engagement Officer’s update on the Baldock Beast Half Marathon by advising that the event would be ran differently in 2021 owing to the pandemic. However, despite that, they were hoping for a reasonable number of runners.

After Councillor Jim Mcnally’s update, the Community Engagement Officer continued with his report as follows:

·                He was continuing to liaise and support staff at Baldock Arts and Heritage Centre with the phase 2 works at the building;

·                During November he promoted on behalf of North Herts CVS, free hand sanitiser for local community groups;

·                He had been assisting the Baldock Community Centre with their application to the Covid-19 Support Fund to assist with the costs for insuring and taxing the new minibus. He informed Members that if the Baldock Community Centre were unable to secure funding support from the Covid19 Support Fund, the minibus would not be able to operate.

The Community Engagement Officer enquired with County Councillors Muir and Jarvis as to whether they were able to help with the cost of insuring and taxing the new minibus by using their Members Locality Budget.

Councillor Muir advised that he would need to know the amount that was required and then he could check his locality budget balance.

The Community Engagement Officer responded that he would check the exact amount and provide it to Councillors Muir and Jarvis after the meeting.

The Community Engagement Officer continued with the report as follows:

·                He informed Members that the Chair’s Awards were open for nominations until 18 December 2020;

·                The Holocaust Memorial Day was taking place on 27 January 2020 at 11:00am.

After the Community Engagement Officer’s report, Councillor Weeks and Mcnally provided an update on the market, as follows:

·                The market had grown substantially;

·                There were a dozen of stalls per week;

·                The stall rents were cheaper than other markets; and

·                Some small businesses had started to trade at the market.

RESOLVED: That the actions taken by the Community Officer to promote greater community capacity and well-being for the Baldock be endorsed.

REASONS FOR DECISION:

(1)       To ensure the Committee is kept informed of the work of the Community Engagement Officer;

(2)       This report is intended to inform Members of the financial resources available to the Committee. It draws attention to the current budgetary situation by assisting in the effective financial management of the Area Committee’s budget. This ensures that all actions are performed in line with the Authority’s Financial Regulations, the Council’s Constitution, and the guidance of the existing Grants policy as agreed by Cabinet in January 2020;

(3)       The awarding of financial assistance to voluntary organisations and the use of discretionary spending allows the Committee to further the aims of the Council Plan.