Agenda and minutes

None as all Members were present.

None as all Members were present.

The Vice-Chairman declared a personal interest in the Micro Business Grants application from Cullen Scolefield as he knows the owner, Maureen Scolefield, through business dealings. He declared a pecuniary interest in Corporate Grant application from Bentswood Community Partnership as he the Chair of the Partnership; he confirmed that he would remove himself from the meeting for the duration of discussion and voting on the item. He also declared a personal, non- pecuniary interest in the Corporate Grant application from the Haywards Heath Town Team as he knows the members of the team on a personal level.

The Chairman declared a personal interest in the Micro Business Grants application from Cullen Scolefield as he knows the owner, Maureen Scolefield, on a personal level. He also declared a personal interest in the Corporate Grant application from Trinity Methodist Church as he is a member of the Church however he played no part in the submission of the application.

The Chairman had no urgent business.

The Vice-Chairman noted a minor error in the previous Minutes in which his declaration of interest should be stated as a non-pecuniary interest rather than a pecuniary interest. Once the amendment was made, the Minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on 22 July 2019 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

No representations were received.

Mark Healy, Regeneration and Economy Programme Manager, introduced the 10 Micro Business Grant applications. He noted that the scheme has seen a great deal of interest and is already nearly fully subscribed. Following this meeting, the panel would have reviewed 33 of the 41 applications that have been submitted.

All the applications were assessed against the criteria of delivering wider outreach, assisting with the delivery of new business lines, enabling more employees to be taken on, and delivering benefits to the community. Each business has also passed Officers due diligence checks.

The applications which were recommended for consideration and approval by the

Panel are set out below:

Holly-Jade Ryder, Business Development Officer, presented the application from Define Hospitality which sought a grant of £1,998 to undertake a four month telemarketing campaign.

A Member stated that the application doesn’t seem to have a tangible end result and as there aren’t many businesses in Mid Sussex how would the Panel differentiate it from other businesses. He also queried whether the intern would be undertaking the telemarketing campaign, an idea he thought ill advised.

The Business Development Officer explained that the intern will follow up with the results from the marketing campaign, but not run it themselves, which would allow the intern to develop their skills and gives them the opportunity to get industry experience – something of which the team highly promote in the Economic Development Strategy.

The Chairman enquired whether the intern is currently in training.

The Business Development Officer confirmed that they are not.

A Member asked whether the intern will be paid by the company.

The Business Development Officer explained that the business is considering paying the intern however she highlighted that the intern would only work for a few days in the week.

The Vice-Chairman noted that the business is located within Radnor House, a residential building. He sought clarification on whether the environment of the building is suitable for the business to be carried out there.

The Business Development Officer clarified that universities are encouraging more small businesses to take on interns to support students in gaining work experience. She noted that the business will be using co-working space in the District when working with the intern.

Members were supportive of the application.

The Business Development Officer introduced the application from Leeli Cycles which sought a grant of £500 to improve their business space, purchase new equipment,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Regina Choudhury, Community Development Officer, introduced the report which presented 15 Community and Economic Development Grants, 14 of which are intended to be used to provide Silver Sunday events.

Each application had been assessed against a standard check-list and considered by a ‘Grants Assessment Group’ to ensure a consistent approach to the awarding of grants.

The Community & Economic Development Grants which are recommended for consideration and approval by the Panel are set out below:-

A Member sought reassurances that the two Befriended applications are not a duplication.

The Community Development Officer confirmed that they are two separate events.

The Chairman enquired whether the Bridging Ages Community Interest Company is an established event.

The Community Development Officer explained that it is an established business which seeks to come into the area and is hoping to bring different generations together; the overall ethos of the organisation is charitable.

The Chairman noted that the Bridging Ages Community Interest Company is running their event at Imberhorne School, East Grinstead and highlighted the spread of events across the District, with more seemingly in the north of the District. He suggested that the grant for the Befriended event in Burgess Hill be increased as it is the only event taking place in the town.

Tom Clark, Head of Regulatory Services, confirmed that the grant can be increased.

Members were supportive of the application.

The Community Development Officer presented the Community and Economic Development Grant application from Haywards Heath Town Team which sought a grant of £4250 to fund the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.