Agenda and minutes

Venue: Via Remote Video Link (Please note the change of location as a result of travel issues related to recent storms.)

Contact: Email: committees@midsussex.gov.uk 

Items
No. Item

1.

To note Substitutes in Accordance with Council Procedure Rule 4 - Substitutes at Meetings of Committees etc.

Minutes:

None as all Members were present.

2.

To receive apologies for absence.

Minutes:

No apologies were received as all Members were present.

3.

To receive Declarations of Interests from Members in respect of any matter on the Agenda.

Minutes:

The Vice-Chairman declared a personal interest in Item 8: Corporate Grant Schemes - Release Of S106 Contributions in respect of the application from Colwell Ground CIC as the site sits within his County Division and has tried to facilitate the project being brought forward.

4.

To confirm the Minutes of the Meeting of the Panel held on 25 October 2021. pdf icon PDF 205 KB

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet Grants Panel, held on 25 October 2021 were approved as a correct record and electronically signed by the Chairman.

5.

To consider any items that the Chairman agrees to take as urgent business.

Minutes:

The Chairman had no urgent business.

6.

To receive representations from Members of the Council on the applications.

Minutes:

No representations were received by Members or Officers.

7.

Corporate Grant Schemes - Community and Economic Development Grants. pdf icon PDF 144 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Emma Sheridan, Business Unit Leader for Community Services, Policy and Performance, introduced the report which presented eight Community Grant applications for consideration as well as providing details of the one-off Platinum Jubilee grants scheme as approved by Cabinet Member decision.

 

The applications which were recommended for consideration by the Panel are set out below:

 

Table 1: Applications recommended for award

Organisation

Grant Purpose

Award Requested

Award Suggested

Citizens Advice in West Sussex (North, South, East)

To set up language café sessions for diverse communities

£4,984

£4,984

Hassocks & Hurst Little Bees

Venue hire to extend sports activities for 2–4-year-olds

£500

£500

IMPACT Foundation

Support 30 families in need with individual and group cooking sessions

£2,545

£2,545

 

TOTAL

£8,029

£8,029

 

 

Table 2: Applications Considered but NO GRANT Award Recommended

Organisation

Purpose for which grant is sought

Award requested

Disability Access East Grinstead

Costs towards Mobility Equipment loan service and taxi costs for the Visually Impaired Readers Group

£700

E Jeavans Associates Ltd

STEM activities for children during and after the Playdays on Tour

£2,965

Handcross Rosemary Club

AGM refreshment costs and Christmas outing

£2,000

Sussex Green Living

Sustainability based activities for children during and after the Playdays on Tour

£4,636

TS Resolution NTC

Sports equipment

£5,000

 

TOTAL

 £15,301

 

 

The Vice-Chairman expressed support for the recommendations. He asked how many individuals have been supported by the Citizens Advice’s Community Champions project and whether the course has a follow-up which can help reinforce the knowledge.

 

The Business Unit Leader for Community Services, Policy and Performance confirmed that the project is supported by the Council’s Housing Team as well as those families therefore would have a follow-up through them.

 

Emma Sheridan, Business Unit Leader for Community Services, Policy and Performance confirmed that over 180 community champions were engaged in the Community Champions project, with over 20 being in regular contact.

Regina Choudhury, Community Development Officer, confirmed that the café plans to engage with at least 8 to 10 individuals, however the project is in a pilot phase where they’re hoping to build on the engagement and get more people involved. She added that it’s a project that builds slowly over time with a gradual increase as more communities and community champions trust the process and want to work with them.

 

The Chairman noted that he attended a few Community Champions meetings and found them to be a very enthusiastic group of people.

 

The Chairman noted that no Member wished to speak so moved to the recommendations which the Panel supported unanimously.

 

RESOLVED

 

The Cabinet Grants Panel agreed:

 

  1. That a Community and Economic Development Grant of £4,984 be released to Citizens Advice in West Sussex (North, South, East) to fund language café sessions for diverse communities.

 

  1. That a Community and Economic Development Grant of £500 be released to Hassocks & Hurst Little Bees to fund venue hire to extend sports activities for 2–4-year-olds.

 

  1. That a Community and Economic Development Grant of £2,545 be released to IMPACT Foundation to fund the support of 30 families in need with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

8.

Corporate Grant Schemes - Release of S106 Contributions. pdf icon PDF 85 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

 

Elaine Clarke, Community Facilities Project Officer, introduced the report which presented three requests for the release of S106 Contributions for consideration. She confirmed that she would present the first two applications to the Panel and then the third application from Colwell Ground CIC after those discussions.

The applications which were recommended for consideration by the Panel are set out below:

 

Organisation

Purpose for which award is sought

Total Project Cost

Award Suggested

Burgess Hill Bowls Club

Installation of bi-fold doors

8,250

8,250

Crawley Down Gatwick Football Club

New dugouts, floodlighting and ball stop fencing

110,028

100,028

Colwell Ground CIC

Three new sports pitches and a community centre at the St Francis Sports Ground

8,417,160

1,450,147

TOTAL

 

8,535,438

1,558,426

 

The Member noted that the Council owns the building for the Crawley Down Gatwick Football Club and hoped that the Club would have sought to raise a little more funding themselves. He asked if the release of S106 contributions was linked to the Council receiving the benefits of the project as it is Council-owned and so more could be funded or whether it would be reasonable to ask if the football club would be able to raise more of the funds for the project themselves.

 

The Community Facilities Project Officer explained that the Section 106 receipts are available and allocated for this site and added that the Club had difficulty raising match-funding as they do not have security of tenure.

 

The Vice-Chairman expressed disappointment that there is no offer of funding from the Football Association. He enquired whether the Football Association has been approached on this occasion to see if they would support the project.

 

The Community Facilities Project Officer highlighted that, from the conversations with the applicants, they are intending to apply to get match-funding from the Football Association however they do hit a stumbling block as we own the site but the Council can support the Club in their application.

 

The Chairman felt particularly pleased that some of the funding will go to retiring the noisy diesel generator.

 

The Community Facilities Project Officer presented the application from Colwell Ground CIC. She outlined that the community building was previously funded by the Cabinet Grants Panel however the grant offer was withdrawn as St Francis Sports & Social Club was unable to raise match-funding.  The Colwell Ground CIC has now come forward with a new proposal which is of different design to the previous and are proposing to upgrade the grass pitches there and put in three new all-weather pitches for football and hockey.

 

The Vice-Chairman said he fully supported the application and has been an aspiration for Haywards Heath for approximately ten years. He noted a specific pot of Section 106 monies that was allocated specifically for the museum and hasn’t been used for a long time. He queried if the money is still available and cannot be used in any other way.

 

The Community Facilities Project Officer replied that the monies are specifically ring-fenced for that purpose.

 

The Vice-Chairman then asked  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

9.

Independent Retailers Grant Scheme - Proposed Grant Awards. pdf icon PDF 196 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Will Hawkins, Economic Development Officer, introduced the report which presented 23 applications for the Independent Retailers Grant Scheme. He highlighted an amendment to the requested award from Lindfield Coffee Works to £3,112 following changes to the equipment they are looking to purchase. He also highlighted the communications plan set out in Paragraph 21 of the report which sets out how the team seeks to share and promote the success of the scheme.

 

The applications which were recommended for consideration by the Panel are set out below:

 

Organisation

Location

Purpose for which award is sought

Award Requested

Award

Suggested

Baan Thai 2 Ltd

Burgess Hill

Storefront improvements and digital

£1,300.00

£1,300.00

Ounce Stores Ltd

Lindfield

Storefront improvements, interior improvements and digital

£4,000.00

£1,704.00

Lindfield Eyecare Ltd

Lindfield

Storefront repair

£2,475.00

£2,475.00

Dudley House Trust

Handcross

Storefront improvements, interior improvements and digital

£2,212.45

£2,212.45

The Rocking Horse Emporium

Burgess Hill

Storefront improvements, interior improvements and digital

£2,444.00

£2,058.00

Fun Pots Ltd

Haywards Heath

Interior improvements and digital

£2,852.00

£2,852.00

Sweetsk8

Burgess Hill

Storefront improvements, interior improvements, and pop-up shop

£2,800.00

£2,800.00

Digital Café

Burgess Hill

Storefront repair and interior improvements

£4,000.00

£3,750.00

The Ashman Hairdressing Company Ltd t/a Hair Essentials

Burgess Hill

Interior improvements

£3,000.00

£3,000.00

Bella June flowers

Hassocks

Storefront improvements and interior improvements

£4,000.00

£4,000.00

Moreno & Young

Haywards Heath

New equipment and digital

£3,423.00

£3,423.00

The Mercantile Adventurers

Burgess Hill

Storefront improvement

£3,870.00

£3,870.00

Lost Pier Brewing Ltd

Burgess Hill

Exterior shelter

£4,000.00

£4,000.00

 

The Member felt disappointed that there were not that many applications coming from the north of district. He asked for further information on how the scheme was promoted and whether the remaining funds in the scheme could be utilised for businesses in the north.

 

The Economic Development Officer explained that the scheme was promoted through social media, the Council’s business newsletter alongside information communicated to the three business associations in Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill and East Grinstead. He also explained that the Micro Business Grant Scheme is coming forward later in the year so suggested that the Council could encourage businesses from the north of the district to apply to that scheme.

 

The Chairman thanked the officers for the communication programme. He recalled a previous grant funding round specifically for East Grinstead and it wasn’t all allocated however grants cannot be provided unless they are asked for.

 

The Vice-Chairman referenced Point 9, P. 47 which detailed grants of £500 for pop-up shop which seemingly had no take-up so asked if there were any comments on the scheme as he thought that it was potentially a good thing to help start-ups. He also asked in terms of spending in Burgess Hill whether the shopfronts involved would undergo any changes should the major redevelopment in the town centre occur any time soon.

 

The Economic Development Officer outlined that the Council promoted the scheme through the usual channels however only received one application which they are supporting. He also committed to checking and investigating the situation for the applications  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

10.

End of Grant Report - Mid Sussex District Council's Covid-19 Recovery Grant Scheme 2020/22 - Business Grant Awards. pdf icon PDF 334 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Will Hawkins, Economic Development Officer, introduced the report which provided an overview of the outcomes and impacts of grants awarded to businesses from the Covid-19 Recovery Grant Scheme 2020/22, in line with the commitment made in the Corporate Grant Schemes Review; and provide detail on the proposed communication plan on scheme outcomes.

 

The Chairman stated that he found the bar chart showing the total number of grants by geographical location very useful. He added that he was particularly pleased about the wide spread of applications across the district and achieving what it set out to achieve.

 

The Vice-Chairman thanked the officers and the Council for the exemplary work they have done both with the speed of issuing the grants and the accuracy in how that money is allocated and spent.

 

The Chairman noted that no Member wished to speak so moved to the recommendations which was agreed unanimously.

 

RESOLVED

 

The Cabinet Grants Panel:

 

a)    Noted the review of the Grant Scheme and feedback received from awarded applicants.

 

b)    Agreed the proposed communications plan outlined in the report.