Archived decisions

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Decision Report :

Contact name: Margaret Plumridge

Tel: 01962 84 6173 Email [email protected]

1. Executive Summary:

1.1 The County Council provides partnership funding from the Community Buildings Fund for capital projects to Community Associations, Village Hall Trusts and similar bodies as outlined in the fund's criteria. This enables the voluntary and community sector to maintain the quality of Hampshire's cultural assets, namely community centres and village halls, some of which are listed.

1.2 This report provides details of the financial position of the Community Buildings Fund in 2009/10 and details requests for partnership funding from this fund.

2. Applications considered in this report:

3. Contextual Information:

3.1 The County Council works in partnership with specific community organisations particularly community associations and village hall trusts 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.

3.2 Partnership funding from the Community Buildings Fund enables the voluntary and 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 and community sector enable local communities to access the services and facilities they need.

3.3 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. Budget Position:

4.1 The sum of £80,000 has been set aside in the 2009/10 capital programme for Culture, Communities and Rural Affairs to support the Community Buildings Fund. A further £50,000 has been made available from the review of allocations in 2005/06 to supplement this financial year. Recommendations totalling £103,251 have been approved to date leaving £26,749. The recommendations in this report amount to £19,865. If approved that would leave £6,884 for the rest of the year.

5. Criteria for Grant:

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

5.2 Projects listed in Appendix 2 that meet the criteria have been allocated a proposed level of partnership funding in line with the criteria. However, the application from Wallops Parish Hall Management Committee does not meet all the elements of the criteria but it is brought forward for special consideration.

The current parish run hall serves the two parishes of Nether Wallop and Over Wallop in northern Test Valley. Built during the second world war as a temporary building it is of single skin construction with an asbestos roof, virtually no insulation and no disabled access facilities.

Over Wallop scores in the bottom 1% of all villages in England on the Index of Multiple Deprivation in terms of rural deprivation which means that access to services is very limited. The Committee have for some years being pursuing a major refurbishment project in order to better serve the increasing demand for local services, many of which are unable to fully utilise the deteriorating facility. Proposing a project costing just over £347,000, the committee were successful in gaining a grant of £243,995 from the Community Buildings programme of the Big Lottery Fund. The balance of funding is gradually being amassed through a number of funding applications to established sources including successful applications to the Parish and Borough Councils. As a parish run hall they do not meet our criteria. However, the committee is committed to move to charitable status once the building project has been secured. Should status not be achieved within a two year period then the proposed partnership funding allocation of £12,500 will be underwritten by an allocation from the Rural Delivery Strategy funding allocated to the department.

It is important to note that the only other organisations in Hampshire to receive awards from this lottery programme are Lyndhurst, Milford-on-sea, Hiltingbury and Beech and over the last two years they have all been allocated the maximum level of partnership funding from the Community Buildings Fund.

6. Other Considerations

6.1 Legal Implications

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.

6.2 Impact Assessment

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 the application procedure includes equalities monitoring information as agreed as part of the corporate review of grants programmes and procedures.

7. Recommendations:

That partnership funding totalling £19,865 as listed below be approved for allocation from the Community Buildings Fund for 2009/10.

CORPORATE OR LEGAL INFORMATION:

Links to the Corporate Strategy

Appendix 1

CRITERIA FOR THESE GRANTS:

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 council 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.

Appendix 2

Name Horndean Community Association

Consultation The local member is Councillor Sam Payne.

Project Intrusive electrical repair programme

Cost £5,750

General Reserves None

Project Reserves £550

Statement A three yearly inspection of the wiring at the community centre revealed that it is not up to current legislative standards and is unsafe. Due to this, a fully intrusive repair programme is in need of being carried out to include the wiring in the main cellar - the main source for all electrics within the centre. Also included are the back of stage area, under stage area and three outbuildings used by the public - including the workshop used by the site attendant.

Partnership Funding Horndean Parish Council £1,800 awaiting decision

East Hampshire District Council £1,500 awaiting decision

Recommendation Up to £1,917 as one third of project cost.

Name Liss Community Association

Consultation The local member is Councillor Vaughan Clarke.

Project To re-surface outside courtyard.

Cost £4,922

General Reserves £41,000

Project Reserves £1,600

Statement The current outside courtyard at the centre has become uneven and is starting to break up. This has now become a tripping hazard. Due to this the Association Trustees wish to completely re-surface the courtyard to provide a safe environment especially to enable them to promote the use of the courtyard for traditional playground games with their After School Club.

Partnership Funding None

Recommendation Up to £1,641 as one third of project cost.

Name The Victoria Room Trust

Consultation The local member is Councillor Edward Heron.

Project Repair and maintenance of entire building to include re-pointing, guttering, repair of doors and windows and decoration.

Cost £21,010

General Reserves £5,353

Project Reserves £2,200

Statement The Victoria Rooms consist of five spaces that are available for community use of which two are on the ground floor and three on the first floor. After 30 years of occupation by the same tenant, the three rooms on the first floor have now been vacated. The managing trustees would like to refurbish these rooms in order to improve their condition and return them once more to general community use.

Partnership Funding Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation £5,000 agreed

Landfill Community Fund £7,000 agreed in principle

New Forest District Council £4,000 agreed

Fordingbridge Parish Council £750 agreed

Recommendation Up to £2,375 as 50% of the combined District and Parish Council contribution up to a maximum of £12,500

Name West Meon Village Hall Trust

Consultation The local member is Councillor Felicity Hindson.

Project Disability Access Ramp

Cost £4,298

General Reserves £15,500

Project Reserves £4,300

Statement The trustees of West Meon Village Hall wish to extend the existing disability access ramp as well as provide new sidewalls and specialist hand railing in order to improve the level of access available to the hall.

Partnership Funding None

Recommendation Up to £1,432 as one third of project cost.

Name Wallops Parish Hall Management Committee

Consultation The local member is Councillor Andrew Gibson.

Project Complete refurbishment of Village Hall

Cost £347,240

General Reserves None

Project Reserves None

Statement The Village Hall is located between the two villages of Nether and Over Wallop. Unfortunately after 65 years of hard use, the current building is getting beyond repair and becoming unusable. Following major community consultation and involvement, it has been decided to build a new Village Hall to serve both of these communities which will be much more energy efficient and sustainable.

Partnership Funding Big Lottery Fund £243,995

Test Valley Borough Council £18,750

Over Wallop Parish Council £4,167

Nether Wallop Parish Council £2,083

Trusthouse Foundation £30,000

Community Fundraising £10,000

Recommendation Up to £12,500 as 50% of the combined District and Parish Council contributions.