Minutes:
Paul Turner, Community Services Manager, introduced the report which presented to the Cabinet Grants Panel forty-one applications received from Community and Voluntary Sector organisations, in response to the Mid Sussex one off Platinum Jubilee Community Grant scheme. He also noted that the End of Year grant report 2020/21 and 2021/22 will be presented at the October Grants Panel.
The applications which were recommended for consideration by the Panel are set out below:
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Organisation |
Grant Purpose |
Award Requested |
Award Suggested |
Ansty Village Centre Trust |
A celebration on the Ansty Village Recreation ground with food and entertainment. The event will be one of a series of events to mark the launch of the Centre. |
£845 |
£845 |
Ardingly Connected Together |
Contribution towards a whole programme of events including lighting of beacon, barbecue, music, firework display and street party. |
£750 |
£450 |
Befriended |
Street party at Court Bushes Community Hub in Hurstpierpoint including a Tea Dance. |
£2,500 |
£500 |
Bentswood Community Partnership |
Community celebration on Barn Cottage Green including picnic, dancing, face painting and an evening barbecue and bar. |
£1,025 |
£500 |
Bolney Village Community Partnership |
Afternoon picnic followed by evening barbeque on Tim Farmer Recreation ground and Woodside Community Centre. |
£200 |
£200 |
Bolney Village Society |
Jubilee party on Batchelor’s Field including barn dance, giant Jubilee cake and races and games. |
£2,008 |
£1,000 |
Burgess Hill Bonfire Society |
Jubilee Jest event – a comedy event including hire of venue and kitchen, bar, stage MC, comedians, sound system and lighting. |
£1,151 |
£151 |
Burgess Hill Cricket Club |
Celebration at St John’s Park including treasure hunt, games, and cream teas. |
£650 |
£500 |
Copthorne Platinum Jubilee Group |
Celebration on the Village Green including best dressed street, dog show, games and children’s street party. |
£4,395 |
£1,000 |
Coro Nuovo |
Jubilee concert at St Andrew’s Church with choral music. |
£900 |
£400 |
Costells Wood Residents Association |
Celebration on Costells Edge including bouncy castle, best dressed house, fancy dress. |
£225 |
£225 |
Crawley Down Community Centre Association |
Part of a four-day celebration, a day of celebration at the Haven Centre with Barbeque, fairground rides, food, beer fest, games and dog show. |
£1,465 |
£1,000 |
Dumbrills Close Residents Association |
Barbeque for residents of Dumbrills Close with live music, bouncy castle, pig roast on the village green. |
£310 |
£310 |
East Grinstead Parkrun |
A parkrun at East Court, East Grinstead with everyone dressed in red, white, and blue followed by a picnic. |
£105 |
£105 |
Friends of Northlands Wood School |
Jubilee themed May Spring Fayre with refreshments and family entertainment. |
£100 |
£100 |
Friends of Twineham School |
Jubilee garden tea party at the school for the local community with stalls, dog show, food and games. |
£450 |
£450 |
Handcross Community Events |
Street party with live music and an opportunity for local businesses to sell food. |
£500 |
£500 |
Mid Sussex Older People’s Association |
Afternoon tea at the King Edward Hall in Lindfield with violinist and refreshments. |
£695 |
£695 |
Sayers Common Village Hall |
Street party with picnic, live music, and children’s activities |
£2,775 |
£1,000 |
Staplefield Association |
Construct a beacon brazier and host a beacon lighting event. |
£1,513 |
£1,513 |
The Brook Street Society |
Garden party for residents |
£1,000 |
£500 |
The Lindfield Club |
Tea party at King Edward Hall on Sunday for those people who live in streets where there are no street parties. |
£500 |
£500 |
Warninglid Residents Association |
Street party on the Warninglid Recreation Ground. |
£750 |
£750 |
Worlds End Association |
‘Picnic in the Park’ on the World Ends Recreation Ground with a band and refreshments. |
£954 |
£954 |
Balcombe Club |
Free to all villagers' party in the Victory Hall, Balcombe |
£1,000 |
£500 |
Lindfield Dramatic Club |
Platinum Pageant with Kings & Queens through the ages. Afternoon and evening performance with tea and cakes and bar. |
£450 |
£450 |
Haywards Heath Cricket Club |
Joint celebration of 125 years of Cricket Club and Platinum Jubilee – cricket games and picnic at Clair Park. |
£625 |
£500 |
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TOTAL |
£27,841 |
£15,598 |
Registered Charities |
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Organisation |
Grant Purpose |
Award Requested |
Award Suggested |
Age UK West Sussex Brighton & Hove |
Celebrations at Lamb House, Haywards Heath, including afternoon tea with harpist and Jubilee community party. |
£770 |
£350 |
Girlguiding Perrymount District HH |
Celebrations with girl guides, including magic show and drumming lessons. |
£350 |
£270 |
Kangaroos Mid Sussex |
Jubilee Picnic in the Park for families with disabled children at the Worlds End Park in Burgess Hill. |
£1,000 |
£1,000 |
The Royal Sussex Regiment Association Mid Sussex Branch |
Screening of Trooping of the Colours followed by afternoon tea for members and friends of the Regiment. |
£500 |
£500 |
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TOTAL |
£2,620 |
£2,120 |
Parish Councils |
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Organisation |
Grant Purpose |
Award Requested |
Award Suggested |
Ansty & Staplefield Parish Council |
Jubilee party for residents of Beeches at Rocky Lane with a barbeque, bouncy castle, music and games. |
£500 |
£500 |
Ashurst Wood Village Council |
Party in John Pears Field and beacon lighting ceremony in partnership with a choir based in East Grinstead, Dunstan’s Community café, youth club and Sussex Community Support. |
£3,500 |
£1,000 |
Balcombe Parish Council |
Picnic in the park including fancy dress, The Women’s Institute, best dressed street and live music. |
£1,000 |
£500 |
Horsted Keynes Parish Council |
Weekend of events in partnership with local organisations and clubs within the village including a big village lunch on the green. |
£875 |
£450 |
Poynings Parish Council |
Family picnic with beacon lighting. Picnic held at the Village Hall owned by the local church who are co-sponsoring the event. |
£1,800 |
£1,000 |
West Hoathly Parish Council |
Village celebration with music, children’s entertainment, and live music for beacon lighting. |
£2,500 |
£1,000 |
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TOTAL
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£10,175 |
£4,450 |
Applications Considered but NO GRANT Recommended
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Grant Purpose |
Award Requested
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Cuckfield Parish Council |
Street party on Cuckfield high street with entertainment and live music |
£1,000 |
Burgess Hill Town Council & Burgess Hill Bonfire Society |
Celebration in St John’s Park to include stage with musical entertainment, piper performance and beacon lighting. |
£1,855 |
East Grinstead Town Council |
Community picnic and beacon lighting. |
£3,450 |
Haywards Heath Town Council |
Picnic in Victoria Park, Haywards Heath with live bands and refreshments. |
£1,760 |
East Grinstead Society |
Renovate Victorian Jubilee Drinking Water fountain |
£4,000 |
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TOTAL |
£12,065 |
Tom Clark, Solicitor to the Council, referred to the interests of Members and confirmed that as they are personal and not prejudicial the Members could take part in the debate on the applications however suggested that it would be better if they did not.
The Vice-Chairman asked what would occur with the balance of £2,832 if it were unspent.
The Community Services Manager explained that would go back into the main pot of money if it were unspent.
The Vice-Chairman highlighted that there is a fantastic selection of events however he noted applications from Lindfield Club and Lindfield Dramatic Club and asked whether officers have determined that they are different events to ensure the Council is not double-funding.
The Community Services Manager confirmed that Council has followed-up on certain bids to ensure it is not double-funding.
The Chairman felt pleased to see the Staplefield Association will be constructing a beacon brazier which would last beyond the jubilee event and drew attention to Haywards Heath Cricket Club which will be celebrating 125 years alongside the Platinum Jubilee.
The Chairman then noted that no Member wished to speak so moved to the vote on the applications received by Small Neighbourhood Groups excluding the Bentswood Community Partnership and the Lindfield Dramatic Society
Members were supportive of the applications.
The Chairman then moved to separate votes on the application from the Bentswood Community Partnership and the Lindfield Dramatic Club with only those members without any interest voting.
The two relevant members in each case were supportive of the applications.
The Chairman moved to consider the applications received from Registered Charities.
The Community Services Manager felt glad to see applications spread across the district and expressed thanks to Mid Sussex Voluntary Action for helping organisations submit them.
The Chairman then noted that no Member wished to speak so moved to the vote on the applications received by Registered Charities.
Members were supportive of the applications.
The Chairman moved to consider the applications received from Parish Councils.
The Vice-Chairman sought reassurances from the officer that the Council is confident it will receive the credit it deserves from issuing the grants.
The Community Services Manager confirmed that promotion can be made through Mid Sussex Matters as well as the District Council’s webpages and they can encourage recipients to use the Council’s logo on any of their materials to represent the Council where it can.
The Chairman then noted that no Member wished to speak so moved to the vote on the applications received by Parish Councils.
Members were supportive of the applications.
The Chairman moved to consider the applications that were recommended to have no grant award.
The Community Services Manager explained that an officer group, made up of the partnerships team and the community development team, meets to decide upon the scoring of grant application submissions. He highlighted that some principles of the funding criteria had been relaxed to allow more community bids for this one-off event.
The Chairman sought clarification as to whether there has been some preference for grassroots events over professional events where contractors have been recruited to do the work.
The Community Services Manager clarified that they did prioritise applications that added value to the community and community infrastructure and generated community activities and community interaction as per the community grants fund criteria.
The Chairman referred to the application from East Grinstead Society to renovate the Victorian Jubilee Drinking Water fountain and asked for an explanation as why it was not awarded.
The Community Services Manager explained that it is for a renovation of a community asset and not connected to an event, therefore he recommended that it come back to the grants Panel under a different scheme at a later date.
The Member asked why some Parish Councils such as West Hoathly and Horsted Keynes are inclusive of beacon lighting and have had their grants approved whereas Burgess Hill Town Council were refused.
The Community Services Manager replied that some areas have a small selection of events where the lighting is a core element whilst others have multiple elements where the beacon is not central to the event. Thus smaller community events had been given priority.
The Chairman then noted that no Member wished to speak so moved to the vote on the recommendations on applications that were recommended to have no grant award.
Members were supportive of the recommendations.
The Chairman moved to consider the Community Grant bid from Citizens Advice in West Sussex (North, South, East).
The Community Services Manager presented the bid from Citizens Advice in West Sussex (North, South, East). He noted that the project seeks to engage with Ukrainian refugees and their family, friends and/or sponsors to provide information and connect them to wider networks and local support services.
The Vice-Chairman enquired what the money is exactly going to be used for and how long the project intends to be in operation.
The Community Services Manager outlined that it is a specialist project in addition to usual Citizens Advice services which would be establishing communication platforms, translation services and support services. This requires extra resources and time for Citizens Advice and may need more funding as the situation in Ukraine progresses, however some funding may be coming through from central government.
The Member noted the mention of a communications platform however she thought that one would have been in place already. She sought reassurances that the Council isn’t becoming another sign-post as there are many around at the moment.
The Community Services Manager explained that communication platforms include language translation, sourcing key people in the community such as religious groups or social prescribers and recruitment and training. He noted that the project will also consider those who are providing shelter and that the need for the project will become more apparent as it goes on. He offered that further cost information could be made available upon request.
The Member questioned if there will be a fund.
The Community Services Manager confirmed that there will be a ringfenced fund that will be reported on.
The Chairman commented that concerned residents have approached him to say that they don’t want to be sent another link to another government agency. They just want to pick up the phone and speak to someone who is local and is aware of local issues.
The Vice-Chairman believed that one of the main issues that resident families require support with is language and whilst it is not a responsibility of the District Council, he asked whether it is being woven in just in case there is a need.
The Community Services Manager shared learning from Covid-19 messaging that refugees prefer messaging in plain English rather than attempts to speak their own language. If there are refugees wanting to learn English, then Citizens Advice Bureau and Mid Sussex Voluntary Action can point to charities such as Aspire Adult Education who deliver English courses at all levels.
The Chairman then noted that no Member wished to speak so moved to the vote on the recommendation on the Community Grant bid application from Citizens Advice in West Sussex (North, South, East).
Members were supportive of the application.
RESOLVED
The Cabinet Grants Panel agreed:
Supporting documents: