Contact: Margaret Plumridge ext: 6173 e-mail: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 The County Council works in partnership with specific community organisations particularly community associations and village hall committees who seek to enable local people to meet the recreational, educational, social, cultural and environmental needs of their local communities. These organisations give local people an opportunity to participate in local activities and encourage local initiatives by people of all ages.

1.2 The purpose of this report is:

i) to provide details of the current financial position of the Community Buildings Fund for 2007/08.

ii) to provide details of requests for partnership funding from the Community Buildings Fund.

1.3 The partnership funding distribution criteria is set out in Appendix 1.

1.4 Projects listed in Appendix 2 meet fully the criteria and have been allocated a proposed level of partnership funding in line with the criteria.

2. Recommendation

That partnership funding totalling £27,120 be approved for allocation from the Community Buildings Fund for 2007/08 as listed below :-

* maximum subject to level of contribution from New Forest District Council

# subject to final confirmation of Winchester City Council contribution

3. Background

3.1 Partnership funding from the Community Buildings Fund enables the community sector to maintain the quality of Hampshire's cultural assets, namely their village halls and community association buildings some of which are listed. This finance enables improvements to be made to those buildings and can assist with the development of new facilities where appropriate. The provision of these buildings by the voluntary sector enables local communities to access the services and facilities they need.

3.2 By providing financial support to these organisations for the maintenance of their buildings the County Council is able to work in partnership with the community sector to achieve the Corporate Priority - Enhancing our quality of place.

4. Impact Assessment

4.1 Organisations applying to this scheme are by their nature defined as accessible to all members of the community. This is embodied within their charitable objects, therefore no groups or organisations should be excluded from any benefit arising from these decisions. Furthermore a new application procedure has been introduced which includes equalities monitoring information agreed as part of the corporate review of grants programmes and procedures.

5. Financial Implications

5.1 The sum of £100,000 has been set aside in the 2007/08 capital programme for Recreation and Heritage to fund applications that meet the criteria during this year. A further £38,000 has been allocated in recognition of a planned under spend of the same amount in 2006/07 giving a total of £138,000. To date £160,226 has been allocated in the current financial year which is an over commitment of £22,226

5.2 The recommendations in this report amount to £27,120. As set out in the November report the proposed cumulative over commitment of £49,346 can be met from sums no longer required which formed part of the approved 2003/04 capital programme allocation for the Community Buildings Fund.

6. Legal Implications

6.1 The Council has wide powers under Section 19 Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 to provide recreational facilities and to contribute by way of grant or loan towards expenses incurred by voluntary bodies in providing such facilities.

LINK 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 Documents

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

NB the list excludes:

Published works

Documents, which disclose exempt or confidential information as, defined in the Act.

Title Location

Applications for financial assistance Community Support Service

Recreation and Heritage Department

Mottisfont Court

Winchester

Appendix 1

The partnership funding distribution criteria for the Community Buildings Fund is as follows:

Partnership funding is granted for:

· Building repairs, extensions and refurbishments

· Health and safety issues

· Equipment to improve the buildings and increase usage

· Feasibility studies

Who can apply:

· Village halls (not parish run halls)

· Community associations

· Church organisations that have a separate community programme on their property

Funding criteria:

· For projects costing less than £15,000, the funding criteria is up to one third of the cost.

· For projects costing more than £15,000, the grant is calculated at 50% of the combined district and parish contribution up to a maximum of 25% of the project costs or £12,500, whichever is the lesser.

· Feasibility studies - applications will be considered for 50% of the cost up to a maximum of £500.

Priority Criteria:

1. Health and safety issues that could result in the building being closed or activities seriously curtailed if the work is not carried out.

2. The work is absolutely essential in order to meet the terms of the Disability Discrimination Act. (It has been widely publicised that these types of buildings will not be closed provided reasonable steps have been taken to meet the terms of the Act).

3. The project is part of a phased development and this element is essential to it's overall completion.

4. Non priority work.