Agenda and minutes

Councillor De Mierre substituted for Councillor Belsey and Councillor Cromie substituted for Councillor Hillier.

Apologies were received from Councillors Belsey and Hillier.

Councillor De Mierre declared a personal interest in the application from Bolnore Village Community Partnership under Item 7: Corporate Grant Schemes - Release Of S106 Contributions as she is the Ward Member for Bolnore.

The Minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on 20 June 2022 were then approved as a correct record by those present at that meeting and signed by the Chairman.

The Chairman confirmed that he had received a late supplementary item relating to release of £60,000 from S106 Contributions to fund upgrade the existing tennis court surface at Lindfield Common, Lindfield in order to improve the playing experience as well as improve the safety of the courts overall.

Tom Clark, Assistant Director for Legal and Democratic Services, introduced the report which was originally approved under Cabinet Member Delegated Authority by the Deputy Leader before it was realised that it was above the limit for Cabinet Member approval. He therefore recommends it to the Cabinet Grants Panel for approval.

The Vice-Chairman agreed with the report and enquired about the revenue implications for patch repairs compared to the sum of a full resurface.

The Assistant Director for Legal and Democratic Services compared the project to road repairs where patching the surface works until a point until you are required to repair the whole surface. He confirmed that the surface is now at that point.

The Panel was supportive of the application.

RESOLVED

The Cabinet Grants Panel agreed:

1. That £60,000 of S106 Formal Sport Contributions is released to upgrade the existing tennis court surface at Lindfield Common, Lindfield.

The Chairman confirmed that no representations were received.

Elaine Clarke, Community Facilities Project Officer, introduced the report which presented two requests for the release of release of S106 Contributions for

consideration by the Cabinet Grants Panel.

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

below:

The Chairman enquired whether the Ward Member’s declaration affects whether she can consider the application from Bolnore Village Community Partnership.

The Assistant Director for Legal and Democratic Services confirmed that it is a personal interest therefore the Member can participate in the debate.

The Vice-Chairman asked where the funding has come from.

The Community Facilities Project Officer confirmed that source of the funding can be found on P.16 and P.19 for the respective applications.

The Chairman felt pleased to see community improvements are taking place as a result of significant housing development in those areas.

The Assistant Director for Legal and Democratic Services welcomed the application at the Woodside Pavilion as the small hall is used for election purposes and sound can be heard in the room when the main hall is in use.

The Vice-Chairman expressed it was great that the Council allowed them to raise funds themselves to have an income source which is important for local communities.

The Chairman noted that no Member wished to speak so move to vote to approve the applications.

The Panel was supportive of both applications.

RESOLVED

The Cabinet Grants Panel agreed:             

1.    That £9,906 of Section 106 Contributions be released to Copthorne Sports & Community Association to fund the purchase and installation of acoustic cladding in the main hall.

2.    That £8,326 of Section 106 Contributions be released to Bolnore Village Community Partnership to fund the supply and fit of an acoustic wall at the Woodside Pavilion, Haywards Heath.

Elaine Clarke, Community Facilities Project Officer, introduced the report which presented to the Panel the final agreed contractual arrangements for community support and advice provision by Citizens Advice West Sussex for the period 2022-2028.She noted that the new rolling contract will have review stages and is a joint contract with the other District and Borough Councils in West Sussex.

The Chairman noted concerns of this Council and others regarding issues as a result of the war in Ukraine, inflation in food and heating prices, unemployment and assisting people into finding new work and questioned whether that will be covered by Citizens Advice West Sussex.

The Community Facilities Project Officer replied that it will be covered.

The Vice-Chairman asked whether the contract until 2028 will cost £119,365.

The Community Facilities Project Officer explained that the total cost is £1,073,201 per annum is for the whole of West Sussex with Mid Sussex contributing £119,365 each year.

The Vice-Chairman enquired if the Council is signing up to pay the money until 2028 and if there are any clauses that requires us to continue.

The Community Facilities Project Officer confirmed there is on-going monitoring and a review after three years; the Council will continue to fund them so long as they are delivering against the contact. 

The Assistant Director for Legal and Democratic Services added that the Council pays the money as long as they provide the service, and the contract is there to enable Citizens Advice to plan ahead for the service provision.

The Chairman noted a review meeting every 12 months with the contractor to monitor how the contract is being delivered across the County and in Mid Sussex. He expressed hope that Paragraph 18 of the report would alleviate any concerns.

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

RESOLVED

The Cabinet Grants Panel agreed to:         

·         Note the outcome of the procurement process for Community Support and Advice Services carried out by West Sussex County Council (WSCC) on behalf of the Districts and Boroughs and agree that Mid Sussex District Council enter into a contract with Citizens Advice West Sussex on the terms set out in this report.

·         Note the contract sum payable for 2022-2028 is within the annual budget allocation of £119,365.

Caroline Duffy, Economic Development Officer, introduced the report which sought the consideration of the Cabinet Grants Panel on six micro business grant applications totalling £6,128.

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

below:

The Member asked which business is the start-up.

The Economic Development Officer responded that Gibson Blanc Photography is the start-up.

The Chairman noted the promotion of work through the East Grinstead Business Association but remained concerned about the lack of applications coming from the north of the District.

The Economic Development Officer replied that the Council is mindful of the issue and is determined to break the cycle. She added that the Council is pushing the scheme through the Gatwick Diamond forum and the Coast to Capital Growth Hub to hopefully target more business in the north of the district.

The Vice-Chairman referenced the grant funding received in 2021 and stated that the fund this year are less than last year.

The Economic Development Officer explained that the same amount of funding was received however there was an underspend in 2020 which resulted in the additional funding being brought forward in 2021.

RESOLVED

The Cabinet Grants Panel agreed:             

1.    That a Microbusiness Grant of £195 be awarded to Outcast Properties to fund the purchase of office equipment and digital technology.

2.    That a Microbusiness Grant of £709 be awarded to Louise Beasley Social to fund the procurement of staff training on business advertisement.

3.    That a Microbusiness Grant of £993 be awarded to CKG OT Ltd to fund the procurement of equipment and tools for additional services.

4.    That a Microbusiness Grant of £800 be awarded to Gibson Blanc Photography to fund the purchase of a new office computer.

5.    That a Microbusiness Grant of £1,431 be awarded to The Garden Spa to fund the purchase of new equipment, a website redevelopment and new external signage.

6.    That a Microbusiness Grant of £2,000 be awarded to Strategic Marcomms Consultancy to fund the hire of an advertising consultant for three-month social media project.

Caroline Duffy, Economic Development Officer, introduced the report which provided an overview of the MSDC Micro Business Grant Scheme 2020/21, including the number of businesses supported, type of projects funded and benefits and success stories shared by recipients of the funding.

The Vice-Chairman enquired whether it would be worth promoting the scheme through the Parish and Town Councils.

The Economic Development Officer clarified that the Council emails Business Associations and all Town and Parish Councils however she acknowledged that there are opportunities to do more and further word-of-mouth recommendations to get the message out more widely.

RESOLVED

The Cabinet Grants Panel noted the summary of the Micro Business Grant Scheme and the positive feedback received from recipients and the proposed Communication Plan.