Contact: Chris Edwards 01962 826700 e-mail: [email protected]

1. Introduction

1.1 On 12^th October 2007, the Big Lottery Fund offered the County Council a grant of £1,245,804 under its Community Libraries Programme. Of this, £999,769 is Capital funding and £246,035 is revenue funding

1.2 In order to secure this funding, three plans have to be submitted by 14^th April 2008 - a Business Plan, a Community Development Plan, and a Capital Delivery Plan.

1.3 The County Council will need to commit £202,236 from the Recreation and Heritage Capital Programme over the next three years as its contribution towards the cost of the project.

2. Recommendation

2.1 That the offer of a grant of £1,245,804 from the Big Lottery Fund, Community Libraries Programme, be accepted.

2.2 That the Learning, Engagement and Adult Development Project (LEAD) be developed further, and plans submitted to the Big Lottery by 14^th April 2008.

3. Background

3.1 In March 2007 an application was submitted to the Big Lottery Fund Community Libraries Programme to develop a scheme which will benefit 5 libraries in Hampshire. The Community Libraries Programme was a one off scheme promoted by the Big Lottery, with £80m available for a competitive bidding process which all 120 Library authorities in the country were eligible to bid for. 53 grants were awarded, with Hampshire being one of only 4 authorities in the South East region to be successful.

3.2 The application submitted was tailored to suit the criteria laid down by the Big Lottery. For example, their programme was aimed at areas of deprivation, so those areas within Hampshire which fitted these criteria were chosen. . Projects could be for between 1 and 5 sites and the areas chosen were Havant (4 sites ) and Aldershot.

3.3 As the application was being drafted, Community Forums were set up at each of the 5 libraries, to involve the community in the process and to find out how they would like to see their Libraries benefit from the scheme. At least two meetings were arranged at each site and further meetings have been arranged since to keep this useful process going. Further meetings will now be arranged to involve local people in how the project progresses in the future.

4. The LEAD Project

4.1 Hampshire's application was for 5 sites, and is called the `LEAD Project' - (Learning, Engagement and Adult Development Project).

4.2 The LEAD project aims to improve the physical capacity in five libraries in Hampshire to attract a wider cross section of users and create facilities for adult learning and community activities. The project will be delivered in areas where there is a current lack of local adult learning provision, a concentration of demographic deprivation and low educational attainment. Four of these libraries are in the borough of Havant (Havant, Waterlooville, Leigh Park and Hayling Island) and the fifth is in the town of Aldershot.

4.3 Using results from ten LEAD Community Management Panel meetings all five libraries will receive provision for dedicated learning and community space/s (Action Zones) and a re shaping programme to make libraries more welcoming, involving dedicated access facilities, flexible partitions, improved lighting, heating (where appropriate), redecoration, flooring, black out blinds, sound proofing, exhibition cases and related infrastructure needs. Equipment such as audio visual, public announcement systems, interactive white boards, full wi fi facilities and dedicated laptops will also be provided. Further improvements to each library will include soft seating/ relaxation areas, refreshment facilities, redecoration (where appropriate),community notice boards and improvements to signage and the presentation of existing book stock.

4.4 Each Action Zone will deliver activities such ICT, crafts, family history, languages (especially English for foreign nationals), sign language, writing workshops, NCT classes, activities for parent/s with young children, exhibition and gallery areas, skills for life, coffee mornings, family activities, first aid, signing (for the hard of hearing),meeting place, community managed events for cultural identity and careers advice.

4.5 Using the Revenue funding which is part of the grant we will appoint a full time outreach worker who will be deployed directly into the communities of need and will work across all five sites. This post will be supported with at least one voluntary community champion at each library site.

5. Timescales

5.1 The Community Libraries Programme is a 3 year project, starting in October 2008 and finishing in October 2011.

5.2 In order to confirm the offer of the grant, a Business Plan, a Community Development Plan, and a Capital Delivery Plan have to be agreed with the Big Lottery by 14th April 2008.

5.3 Work must then start on site by October 2008. Work at some sites will be completed quite quickly, but the larger sites, such as Waterlooville, will take longer. The expectation is that work at all sites will be completed by early 2010 so that the outcomes of the project can be monitored by the Big Lottery between then and October 2011.

6. Impact Assessment

6.1 The LEAD project will enable greater community involvement and use by a wider range of users. No adverse affect has been identified on any area of the community.

7. Financial Implications

7.1 The Big Lottery Fund have offered the County Council a grant of £1,245,804 under its Community Libraries Programme. Of this, £999,769 is Capital funding and £246,035 is revenue funding.

7.2 Up to 5% of the total grant ( £62,290) can be claimed from the Big Lottery to pay for project development costs over the next few months. This will cover the cost of preparing the Business Plan, Community Development Plan and Capital Project Delivery Plans, and architectural plans up the RIBA stage E, by April 2008

7.2 The County Council will need to commit £202,236 from the Recreation and Heritage Capital Programme over the next three years as it's contribution towards the cost of the project.

7.3 All revenue costs associated with the project between now and October 2011 will be covered by the Lottery grant.

7.4 A request for the value of this project to be added to the Recreation and Heritage Capital Programme is dealt with elsewhere on this agenda.

8. Legal Implications

8.1 In order to confirm the grant offer, the Big Lottery require that we accept their `Standard Conditions of Grant'. These require us to grant certain rights for the Big Lottery to monitor the future use of the 5 properties involved in the Programme and in the event of us wishing to change the use of any in the future, the Lottery reserve the right to reclaim part or all of the funding they have provided. Officers have discussed these conditions with the Big Lottery and they are not flexible on these conditions, and require us to accept them without amendment.

8.2 Whilst some of the conditions seem rather onerous, in practice, it is not thought that they will actually cause any problems in future.

Links to Corporate Strategy

Yes No

Hampshire safer and more secure for all

Maximising well-being _

Enhancing our quality of place _

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.

N.B. the list excludes:

1. Published works.

2. Documents that disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

TITLE LOCATION

Community Libraries Programmes Chilcomb House

Application Form - March 2007

Grant Offer letter and Standard Chilcomb House

Conditions of Grant - October 2007