Contact: Frances Martin, Community Strategy Manager Ext: 5122

e-mail: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 This report makes recommendations in respect of a number of applications for funding from various LSPs across the County, which have either been approved by the Chief Executive; are subject to approval by the Executive Member for Community Development and Regeneration; or which require referral to the Leader for approval.

2. Background

2.1 A budget for supporting projects derived from the County Council's statutory duty to prepare a community strategy has been set up and this includes a budget of £200,000 for pump priming the Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) and to develop further community strategies.

2.2 Each of the 11 LSP's are encouraged to bid for money from this budget to support the development of their LSPs and for the pump priming of projects.

2.3 The budget is also available for the development and implementation of the Hampshire Strategic Partnership.

2.4 The Chief Executive can approve amounts of less than £2000. The Executive Member for Community Development and Regeneration can approve amounts between £2000 and £5000. Amounts exceeding £5000 must be approved by the Executive Member and referred, with a recommendation to the Leader for decision.

2.5 Appendix B sets out the funding criteria for which bids will be approved. They are intended as guidelines and not prescriptive rules.

3. Current bids

3.1 The following bids are for consideration by the Executive Member for Community Development and Regeneration:

3.2 A bid has been received from the Test Valley Local Strategic Partnership for the sum of £5,000 to appoint a Partnership Support Officer to co-ordinate the planning, projects and monitoring of the LSP. The post will be initially for a 2 year period and matched funding has been secured from the other partners.. The Partnership Support Officer will co-ordinate meetings of the LSP and it's sub groups and attempt to help move the LSP from process into action. The post will also be responsible for identifying and levering in resources and funding from other areas where possible. The intention is to review the position again in the new financial year should funds still be needed.

3.3 The sum of £2,000 from the Rushmoor LSP to contribute towards the costs of a training and development programme for the LSP. The work will involve two facilitated workshops and a number of additional facilitated meetings with stakeholders.

3.4 The training and development programme will seek to address the following issues:

· Raise understanding of the role of the partnership is delivering the strategy

· Develop the strategy and move to the delivery phase

· Engage stakeholders in action planning

· Identify priority areas and prepare action plans

3.5 The facilitated workshops will help the Rushmoor LSP finalise the strategy, identify and agree priorities and determine action plans. Contributions have also been secured from Rushmoor Borough Council to meet 50% of the cost and venues have been secured from the private sector partners.

4.1 The following bid is recommended to the Leader for approval:

4.2 The sum of £50,000 from the Eastleigh Strategic Partnership as a contribution to complete the £250,000 funding package to replace the existing youth centre at Hamble Community Sports College for the three villages of Bursledon, Hamble le Rice and Netley on the Hamble peninsular.

4.3 The Eastleigh Strategic Partnership see the replacement of this facility as a key way of ensuring that the educational, social and recreational needs of young people in the area are met, which are fits into the themes of the Community Strategy.

4.4 Other major contributions are coming from the Sports College, County Council Youth Service, Hampshire Connexions and Eastleigh Borough Council. It is proposed that due to timescales involved in the project and the lack of funds in this years budget that the £50,000 be agreed from the 2004/2005 budget.

5.1 The unspent funds from 2002/03 (£119,252) were carried over to the budget for this financial year (2003/04). Added together this gave a total of £309,252. Following the above approved bids the total spend in relation to the budget is £279,781 leaving £29,470 (see attached appendix A). It is inefficient to constrain such pump-priming spend too closely to a particular year - as illustrated by the timing of the £50,000 contribution mentioned above - and with that in mind it is requested that any remaining funds from 2003/2004 should similarly be carried over to 2004/2005.

5.2 The relevant local Member's views are taken into account through the LSP mechanism.

Recommendations

The following recommendations are sought:

1. To approve the sum of £5,000 from the Test Valley Local Strategic Partnership to appoint a Partnership Support Officer to co-ordinate the planning, projects and monitoring of the LSP.

2. To approve the sum of £2,000 from the Rushmoor LSP to contribute towards the costs of a training and development programme for the LSP.

3. To recommend to the Leader for decision an allocation of £50,000 from the Eastleigh Strategic Partnership as a contribution to complete the £250,000 funding package to replace the existing youth centre at Hamble Community Sports College. This allocation will be secured from the 2004/2005 budget as the work is expected to commence in April/May.

4. To request that the Leader agree the carry forward of any unspent budget at the end of 2003/04 into 2004/05

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

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.

File FM Exec Member Location: Community planning/committee

reports