Hampshire County Council

Executive Member - Recreation and Heritage Item 3

18 February 2004

Annual Revenue Support to Community Associations - 2004/05

Report of the Director of Recreation and Heritage

Contact: Margaret Plumridge Ext: 6173

1. Summary

The following decisions are sought:

i) that annual revenue support in 2004/05 totalling £132,772 be made to the following community associations:

Community Association	£
Alton	7,000
Bishopstoke	9,000
Bursledon	6,000
Denmead	3,000
Emsworth	6,000
Headley Down	15,000
Horndean	6,000
Kingsley	6,000
Leigh Park	17,272
Liss	3,500
Lyndhurst	2,000
Overton	6,000
Portchester	14,000
River Way, Andover	8,000
Rowner	10,000
Sarisbury	5,000
Tadley	5,000
Titchfield	4,000
Total	132,772

ii) that the five year agreement, 2002/03 to 2006/07 with Leigh Park Community Association to provide support both in staff and finance to a total value of £32,000 per annum be reconfirmed.


iii) that the following Community Associations continue to receive staff

support subject to review during 2004/05:

2. Reasons for the recommendations

i) to support community associations who seek to enable local people to meet the recreational, educational, social, cultural and environmental needs of their local communities.

ii) by supporting these organisations in their work and through working in partnership with them the Recreation and Heritage department helps to achieve Aim 4 of the Corporate Strategy - `Building safe and strong communities'

3. Other options considered and rejected

i) making increased grants

ii) making no grants at all

4. Conflicts of interest declared by the decision maker, or a member or officer consulted

None

5. Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee

Not applicable

6. Reasons for matter being dealt with, if urgent

Not applicable

Approved by: (Signature) Date: (of decision)

................................. .........................

Councillor J. Waddington

Hampshire County Council

Executive Member - Recreation and Heritage Item 3

18 February 2004

Annual Revenue Support to Community Associations - 2004/05

Report of the Director of Recreation and Heritage

Contact: Margaret Plumridge, ext 6173

1. Introduction

1.1 The Recreation and Heritage Department works with Community Associations who aim is to provide the opportunity for local people to participate in recreational, educational, social, cultural and environmental activities within their local communities and to encourage local initiatives by people of all ages.

1.2 The Corporate Strategy

By supporting these organisations in their work and through working in partnership with them the Recreation and Heritage Department helps to achieve Aim 4 of Hampshire County Council's Corporate Strategy - `Building safe and strong communities'

.

1.3 Supporting the Members Priorities

These organisations provide a wide range of social and recreational activities locally for all ages ranges and this year they have been asked to consider the activities they provide for older people. The attached summary, set out in Appendix 5, gives a flavour of the extensive amount of activity that is provided by these organisations for older people.

2. Purpose of report

2.1 Requests of financial assistance

The purpose of this report is to provide details of requests for financial support towards the annual revenue costs of these organisations together with support `in kind' through seconded staff and the targeted allocation of Community Support Team staff.

2.2 The review of the budget

During 2004/05 the arrangements for the allocation of annual revenue support are to be reviewed as proposed in the Community Support Strategy that was considered by the Policy Review Committee on 13 November 2003 and adopted by the Executive Member - Recreation and Heritage on 20 November 2003. It is intended that organisations in receipt of this funding should be made aware by letter that this is the final year of the current arrangements. The five year agreement with Leigh Park will remain in place until 2006/07 when this agreement is due to end.

2.2 New Forest Consultancy

As part of the above review an in depth study is to be undertaken by Community First New Forest to assess the impact that local Community Associations have on local activities and initiatives and to consider how these organisations, if supported, can help to meet the county council's priorities and what form that support should take. It is intended that this study will form a framework for the whole of Hampshire.

3. Finance

3.1 It is proposed that the sum of £170,000 is set aside from the 2004/05 revenue budget to meet requests from Community Associations for annual revenue support.

3.2 Proposals brought forward in this report amount to £132,772 (see appendix 1) and include five new applications. An application from Ringwood Community Association will have to be determined by the Executive Member - Policy & Resources which, together with three applications which have yet to be received, can all be met from the remainder of the allocation leaving a small contingency.

3.3 In addition the sum of £78,674 will need to be set aside from the 2004/05 revenue budget to cover the costs of staff seconded to the four Community Associations detailed in para 4.1 below.

4. Seconded staff

4.1 There are four organisations that have staff seconded to their organisations:

Leigh Park Community Association

Gosport Community Association

Lymington Community Association

Fordingbridge Community Association

4.2 The cost of the two staff at Leigh Park continues to form part of the five year funding agreement between Recreation and Heritage and Leigh Park Community Association. This organisation operates in one of the major areas of disadvantage in Hampshire.

4.3 The Community Support Service continues to monitor closely the work of the staff at Gosport Community Association.

4.4 Fordingbridge and Lymington Community Associations are both located in the New Forest and the position of the staff at these centres will be reviewed as part of the consultancy project.

5. Details of the applications

5.1 Appendix 1 is a summary of the current proposals for 2004/05. The five new applicants are Bursledon Community Association, The Kingsley Centre, Overton Community Association, River Way Community Association Andover and Tadley & District Community Association.

5.2 Appendix 2 sets out the conditions and criteria governing annual revenue support as they currently exist.

5.3 Appendix 3 contains individual reports which summarise the funding applications received to date. Each contains:-

· an indication of the financial position of the organisation

· information on how well they achieved against jointly agreed objectives set last year

· recommendations regarding objectives for the year 2004/05

· proposals suggesting that the achievement of some of these objectives should be a condition of funding.

5.4 Appendix 4 covers the seconded staff at Fordingbridge, Gosport and Lymington and appendix 5 lists some of the activities provided for older persons referred to para 1.3.

Recommendation

That annual revenue support of £132,772 and costs of seconded staff of £78,674 be awarded in all to 21 organisations for 2004/05 as summarised in Appendix 1.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - Background Documents

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the act.

TITLE LOCATION

Applications for revenue support Community Support Section of the

Sport, Community and Outdoor Service, Mottisfont Court, Winchester