Agenda and minutes

Councillor MacNaughton substituted for Councillor Marsh.

Apologies were received by Councillor Marsh.

Councillor MacNaughton declared a personal interest in the Facility Grant application made by Slaugham Parish Council as he is a Parish Councillor for Slaugham. He confirmed that he would remove himself from the meeting for the duration of discussion and voting on the item.

The Minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on 16 August & 3 September 2018 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

None.

None.

Glen Wilkinson, Leisure Partnership Officer, introduced the report to request the release of money from the Martlets Relocation Specific Reserve relating to the closure of Martlets Hall. Sussex Oakleaf which was based in Martlets Heights has since moved to a new premises however has incurred costs associated with the move. A grant of £8,683 was requested to cover the costs incurred.

Members were supportive of the application.

RESOLVED

That a sum of £8,683 be released from the Martlets Relocation Specific Reserve to Sussex Oakleaf to reimburse them for costs associated with moving from Martlets Heights to new premises on Church Road.

The Chairman confirmed that the Panel will discuss the Corporate Grants separately with the application from Slaugham Parish Council to be discussed first and the remaining grants thereafter.

[Councillor MacNaughton left the room at 4:37]

Elaine Clarke, Community Leisure Officer, introduced the section of the covering report regarding Slaugham Parish Council which sought to increase the existing grant awarded by £54,603, to £721,046 to partially fund the construction cost of a car park and hard landscaping around the new community building and sports pavilion at Finches Field, Peace Pottage. It was confirmed that the additional grant was requested when it was found that the selected contractor for the project had not included the hard landscaping and car parking around the building which created a budget shortfall to be met by the Parish Council. The Community Leisure Officer outlined that it is essential that the works are completed as, under a planning condition, the building cannot be occupied until car parking spaces have been constructed.

The Vice-Chairman noted issues which were associated with the Bolnore Village Community Centre where the parking was extended as it originally did not meet the needs of the village and came at a greater cost than if it had been built alongside the centre. He expressed his approval as long the additional grant will enable the Parish Council to fully complete the project and that no more funding would be requested.

Members were supportive of the application.

[Councillor MacNaughton returned to participate in the meeting at 4:44]

The Community Leisure Officer introduced the Facility grant for East Grinstead Rugby and Football Club which sought £50,000 to fund the improvements to the club facilities. She explained that a grant of £50,000 was previously awarded to the club to build a single storey extension however this was superficially finished and required further work to make it fit for purpose. It was confirmed that the board members who were responsible for the initial project have since resigned and that the builder who originally built the extension was taken to court but this was unsuccessful.

A Member sought assurances from the officer the building is safe and that the work will correct the issues.

The Community Leisure Officer confirmed that builders of the original extension employed their own site inspector to sign off the work and she does not have a copy.

A Member requested that we request a copy of the Approved Inspectors report outlining the outstanding issues which need to be resolved.  . The Chairman was supportive of the Member’s comment and it was agreed that further information was required to support the application.

The Chairman noted that Councillor Reed had indicated that he would like to address the Panel. Councillor Reed, a trustee on the board for the Club, confirmed that the original contractor was in fact the Chairman of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Mark Healy, Regeneration & Economy Programme Manager, introduced the report which presented six Microbusiness Grant Schemes.

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.

Members were supportive of all six applications.

RESOLVED

i.       That a Micro Business grant of £2,000 be granted to BB Vintage Clothing Ltd, East Grinstead to fund the hiring of a new staff member.

ii.       That a Micro Business grant of £2,000 be granted to Buchan Rum Architects, Lindfield to fund the purchase of new IT equipment.

iii.       That a Micro Business grant of £1,726 be granted to Journey in Essence, Ashurst Wood to fund the purchase of a new laptop and improvements to marketing.

iv.       That a Micro Business grant of £2,000 be granted to The Perrymount Ltd, Haywards Heath to fund the implementation of a new drop-in service.

v.          That a Micro Business grant of £1,500 be granted to Treehoppers Forest Kindergarten, Cuckfield to fund the hiring of a new apprentice.