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 A sum of £80,000 was originally set aside in the 2009/10 capital programme for Culture, Communities and Rural Affairs to support the Community Buildings Fund. Since then an allocation of £25,000 has been made to the fund from the Rural Action Plan Fund to support applications from village halls bringing the total available for distribution to £105,000. To date £123,116 has been allocated this year and if the recommendations in this report, which amount to £19,500, are approved then this total will rise to £142,616. This over-commitment of £37,616 is well within the sum identified as available following a review of the 2005/06 fund activity.

5. Criteria for Grant:

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

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

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 £19,500 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 Catisfield Memorial Hall Trust

Consultation The local member, Councillor Geoff Hockley has been consulted and he supports the recommendation.

Project Extensive refurbishment and repair to the Memorial Hall

Cost £57,282

General Reserves £26,400

Project Reserves £20,000

Statement After over a decade without comprehensive repair and maintenance, the Trust committee wish to carry out a comprehensive repair and refurbishment programme to include replacing a leaking roof to the rear of the building, raising floor levels to ensure one level of floor throughout the building to improve access, installing a new kitchen to comply with health and hygiene regulations and ensure a wider variety of users are able to use the facilities, update the toilet area, insulate throughout the building to gain greater energy efficiency and re tarmac the damaged areas of drive to ensure safer access to the building.

Partnership Funding £27,000 from Fareham Borough Council through various grants (To be confirmed)

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

Name Curdridge Reading Rooms

Consultation The local member, Councillor Peter Mason has been consulted and he supports the recommendation.

Project Feasibility Study

Cost £1,000

General Reserves £40,000

Project Reserves £500

Statement The management committee wish to investigate the potential to improve the structure and layout of the building with a view to achieving better accessibility to the hall and improved energy efficiency.

Partnership Funding None

Recommendation Up to £500 as 50% of the cost of a feasibility study

Name Froyle Village Hall Trust

Consultation The local member, Councillor Mark Kemp-Gee has been consulted.

Project Refurbishment of kitchen and boiler

Cost £35,000

General Reserves £12,000

Project Reserves £7,500

Statement The kitchen has not been renovated for around 30 years and is now out dated, inadequate and inefficient, as is the boiler for the building and electricity distribution board. It is proposed to replace all of these items to improve efficiency and safety within the building.

Partnership Funding Froyle Parish Council £3,000 (Approved over 2 years)

East Hampshire District Council £10,000 (Awaiting decision)

Recommendation Up to £6,500 as 50% of the combined District and Parish Council contribution