Hampshire County Council

Havant Area Committee Item 5a

16 March 2005

Financial Assistance for Community Projects supported by

Havant Borough Council and the Hampshire Constabulary

Report of the Chief Executive

Contact: Katie Crabb (01962) 847911; E-mail: [email protected]

1. Introduction

1.1 The County Council has earmarked £100,000 in this financial year to support
the Area Committee in its work for the Havant community. It was anticipated

that some of this allocation would be disbursed by the Committee by way of grants to give financial support to local community projects.

1.2 The Committee's guidelines reflect very closely the framework within which the Leader of the Council considers applications received for assistance from his budget.

They meet the requirement for a clear audit trail. All applications received are referred to the appropriate County Council department for comments so that, when applications are considered, the officers' professional advice is taken into account.

2. Applications for funding from Havant Borough Council and Hampshire Constabulary (Havant Police Station)

2.1 Applications 1 and 2 (attached) had been received before the January meeting but these applications fall outside the guidelines. Application 1 is from Hampshire Police for young people in Denvilles and Application 2 from the Borough Council concerning financial assistance towards the provision of a skateboarding facility at the Recreation Ground in Horndean Road, Emsworth.

The guidelines state that grant aid will not normally be given to the Borough Council as it is a precepting body. This also applies to the Hampshire Constabulary.

2.2 These applications however are both supporting Youth initiatives in the Havant Borough which support the aims and objectives of the Local Community Strategy for Havant and the County Council's Corporate Strategy for supporting Young People.

2.3 These applications were deferred from the January meeting so that they could be assessed by the County Council's officers.

2.4 Another two applications; Applications 3 and 4 (attached) have also been received during February from Havant Borough Council for consideration by the Committee: The Bedhampton PRIME Project, seeking financial assistance to install a young persons point (youth shelter) and goal posts at either Bidbury Mead recreation ground or Scratchface Lane Park in Bedhampton and The Oral History and Reminiscence Project; an experienced oral historian will work with older people from three Age concern in groups in Havant to record their living memories.

2.5 Application 3 also supports the aims and objectives of the Local Community Strategy for Havant and the County Council's Corporate Strategy for supporting Young People.

3. Corporate comments

3.1 The County Treasurer considers that the committee should not support the applications for funding from Havant Borough Council or Hampshire Constabulary. Not only are the Borough Council and the Police precepting bodies who should be expected to fund their initiatives from their own share of the precept rather than the County Council's, but there are, anyway, separate funding arrangements in place for Crime and Disorder Partnerships. The committee should concentrate on initiatives for which there is no alternative funding route rather than duplicating the responsibilities of other bodies. This is the policy applied to similar requests to the Policy and Resources grants budget and it is important for the County Council to apply its principles consistently whether grants are allocated at County level or on a local area basis.

3.2 The County Education Department is not concerned about the merits of the individual applications but that the applications have been made directly by statutory providers and have not come through the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership or Local Strategic Partnership.

3.3 Officer comments where made, are shown in the appendices.

HAVANT AREA COMMITTEE

16 March 2005

Application 1

HAMPSHIRE CONSTABULARY (HAVANT POLICE STATION)

Re: Denvilles Youth Initiative

1. PURPOSES FOR WHICH FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IS SOUGHT

To support a project primarily for the young people of Denvilles that will have a multi-agency approach and will mainly be driven by the young people. It is hoped that the residents volunteering and young people of Denvilles will take ownership of the project and run it for themselves.

The plan is to arrange football and other sports coaching, residential and outdoor activities and some equipment needs to be purchased; arranging projects involving their own art and craft work, car maintenance/driving skills, projects that promote healthy lifestyles, expand their minds and develop new skills. It is anticipated when the project is established, the young people will too, put back efforts into their immediate community.

The young people have already expressed an interest in a sports wall on the estate, yet available and suitable land is at a premium in this area so this needs close liaison with the residents, private landowners and the Council.

2. AMOUNT OF REQUEST

An approximate would be in the region of £6,000

This is a new project but Havant Focus Group have already provided £1,000.

No funding has been received from the Hampshire Constabulary

3. THE NEED FOR THE PROJECT WAS IDENTIFIED BY:

By the community beat officer who has spoken to a number of young people ranging in ages from 10 to 19.

An increased number of youth nuisance calls from residents throughout the summer months,

4. THE SUCCESS OF THE PROJECT WILL BE MEASURED BY:

Feedback received to police/youth service/young people and the residents.

Also to be measured by the number of calls received to police with regard to anti-social behaviour

5. OTHER COMMENTS

5.1 HCC's Community Safety Link Officer

It was thought that if HCC did not fund this project it may benefit from the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) who had agreed to set aside some funding for youth projects to be targeted at hotspots. The CDRP however have just agreed their funding and we are awaiting confirmation if this hotspot was successful.

5.2 Chief Executive and CMT are concerned because other Public Authorities have not offered assistance. Also the proposal will require ongoing revenue support and it is not clear how this will be sustained.

Provision of sports walls sound relatively simple but could raise a large number of difficulties if insufficient preparation is not completed to ensure all parties are in agreement.

The initiative seems very focussed on a relatively small group.

HAVANT AREA COMMITTEE

16 March 2005

Application 2

HAVANT BOROUGH COUNCIL

Re: Skateboarding Facility at the Recreation Ground, Horndean Road, Emsworth

1. PURPOSES FOR WHICH FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IS SOUGHT

The funding will pay part of the cost of providing a skateboarding facility

2. AMOUNT OF REQUEST

Total cost of Project is £65,000

funded by:

Emsworth Community Board - liveability fund £25,000

Havant Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnership £35,000

HCC requested to fund £ 5,000

3. THE NEED FOR THE PROJECT WAS IDENTIFIED BY:

Local young people who informed the Havant Borough Council through the Havant Youth Council and the Emsworth Community Board.

The local police community beat officer and Neighbourhood Watch also requested that the facility be provided. They were concerned at the risk to members of the public and skateboarders caused by young people skateboarding in the Square, which is in the centre of the Emsworth Shopping Centre. Provision of the purpose built facility will divert young people from skateboarding in the Square.

4. THE SUCCESS OF THE PROJECT WILL BE MEASURED BY:

Havant Borough Council's (HBC) Sports Development team who will use the facility or organised events.

The facility will also be monitored by HBC's Parks and Open Spaces team.

5. OTHER COMMENTS

HCC's Community Safety Link Officer

Most skate parks cost about £50-55k. The Emsworth Community board decided to go for a more expensive facility hence the extra cost. If HCC don't give the 5K then the specification will need to be reduced but Emsworth will still get the facility.

HAVANT AREA COMMITTEE

16 March 2005

Application 3

HAVANT BOROUGH COUNCIL - Community Safety Unit

Re: Bedhampton PRIME (Problem Resolution In a Multi agency Environment) Project

1. PURPOSES FOR WHICH FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IS SOUGHT

To install a young persons meeting point (Youth Shelter) and goal posts at either Bidbury Mead Recreation Ground or Scratchface Lane Park in Bedhampton to provide diversionary activities for the young people of the Bedhampton area.

2. AMOUNT OF REQUEST

From Hampshire County Council £5,000

Amount received from other organisations:

Hampshire Police Authority £4,000

Havant Borough Council £1,000

3. THE NEED FOR THE PROJECT WAS IDENTIFIED BY:

Following incidents of anti-social behaviour in the Bedhampton Village area, a PRIME Project was established.

The PRIME Project was supported and attended by Hampshire Police, Havant Borough Council Members and staff, Hampshire County Council Members and staff, residents, retailers and neighbourhood watch. The group meet on a monthly basis and agreed various actions.

4. THE SUCCESS OF THE PROJECT WILL BE MEASURED BY:

A continued reduction in criminal damage, anti social behaviour and complaints.

5. OTHER COMMENTS

Comments are awaited from HCC's Community Safety Link Officer.

HAVANT AREA COMMITTEE

16 March 2005

Application 4

HAVANT BOROUGH COUNCIL

Re: Oral history and reminiscence project

1. PURPOSES FOR WHICH FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IS SOUGHT

Experienced oral historian will work with older people from three Age Concern groups in Havant to record their living memories. The participants will contribute photographs and life stories to create a series of local exhibitions that will be brought together and displayed in central Havant.

2. AMOUNT OF REQUEST

From Hampshire County Council £2,700

Amount received from other organisations:

Havant Borough Council £300

3. THE NEED FOR THE PROJECT WAS IDENTIFIED BY:

A trustee of Age Concern Cowplain as a result of regular meetings with elderly residents. The older people suggested a community based project and he approached the council on their behalf to seek funding to develop the idea.

4. THE SUCCESS OF THE PROJECT WILL BE MEASURED BY:

Feedback from participants and Age Concern staff

5. COMMENTS

Chief Executive's Department

Age Concern Cowplain has recently received £25,000 grant from HCC Social Care Grants, Press Release 1873 - Havant area shares in £half million of social care grants.

This proposed project is similar to the Hampshire County Council's Older Persons cabinet priority initiative, organised by Corporate Communications who are currently running a memories competition calling on older residents for stories of growing up in Hampshire. Press Release 1897 - Telling it how it was.

Social Services Department - Comments awaited