Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber

Contact: Email: committees@midsussex.gov.uk 

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

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

Minutes:

Councillor De Mierre substituted for Councillor Webster.

 

2.

To receive apologies for absence.

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillor Webster.

 

3.

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

Minutes:

Councillor Hillier declared a personal interest in Item 9: Corporate Grant Schemes - Community Grants as he is the Chairman of the Bentswood Community Partnership who are a joint partner in the Bentswood Community Hub.

 

4.

To confirm the Minutes of the Meeting of the Panel held on 26 September 2022. pdf icon PDF 66 KB

Minutes:

The Minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on 26 September 2022 were then approved as a correct record by those present at that meeting and signed by the Chairman.

 

5.

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

Minutes:

6.

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

Minutes:

 

The Chairman confirmed that no representations were received.

 

7.

Microbusiness Grant Scheme 2022/23. pdf icon PDF 95 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

William Hawkins, Economic Development Officer, presented to the Cabinet Grants Panel eight micro business grant applications totalling £11,921. He noted that one application is for the hire of an apprentice and that both Ouh La La and Sussex Facilities Management Ltd have received grants in 2017 & 2019 respectively. He added that Pera Midtown has not submitted all the required information in time for the Panel and therefore recommended it be deferred until that information is received. It was also confirmed that Cerowski Architects Ltd have requested to amend their request from £1,654 to £1,833 due to inflationary pressures on the equipment.

 

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

Angie's Nails and

Beauty

Haywards

Heath

Apprentice

£1,500

£1,500

Men do Pilates

Hurstpier-

point

Website development and

marketing

£2,000

£2,000

Sussex Facilities

Management Ltd

Burgess

Hill

Marketing

£908

£908

Cerowski

Architects Ltd

East

Grinstead

Purchase of new equipment

£1,654

£1,833

Seasons Art Class

Haywards Heath

Haywards

Heath

Marketing

£1,360

£1,360

Ouh La La

Haywards

Heath

Renovation of new store

£2,000

£2,000

Clearthink

Counselling

Hassocks

Purchase of new

equipment

£499

£499

Pera Midtown

Burgess

Hill

Marketing

£2,000

£0

Total

 

 

£11,921

£10,100

 

 

The Member noted the previous grant for Sussex Facilities Management Ltd and then the new grant before the Panel. She enquired what service will the company be providing.

 

The Economic Development Officer replied that the company goes to other companies and offer personal support, premises safety and methods to reduce energy consumption.

 

The Vice-Chairman sought clarification as to whether officers turn down applications due to the applicant targeting specific markets and if there is any evidence of discrimination.

 

The Economic Development Officer explained that business is just one branch of a wider business that offers Pilates however the branch before the Panel caters to just Men. He assured the Vice-Chairman that officers do consider whether there is any potential for discrimination.

 

The Chairman expressed delight in seeing an application for an apprenticeship and an application from the north of the District. He asked what business Seasons Art

Class Haywards Heath offers to customers.

 

The Economic Development Officer confirmed that the business sells a 14 week art class course which is their main source of revenue and separately support community events and community exhibitions.

 

The Chairman noted that rent-free period is usually offered to business when they start their tenancy and questioned if Ouh La La is getting that as well as the grant.

 

The Economic Development Officer outlined that the business will be relocating to the Orchards Shopping Centre and will receive a three-month rent free period. He added that both officers and the landlord are happy with the arrangement.

 

RESOLVED

 

The Cabinet Grants Panel agreed:

 

  1. That a Microbusiness Grant of £1,500 be awarded to Angie's Nails and Beauty to fund the purchase of cleaning equipment.

 

  1. That a Microbusiness Grant of £2,000 be awarded to Men do Pilates to support the development of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

8.

Corporate Grant Schemes - Community Grants & COVID-19 Grants Review. pdf icon PDF 172 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Regina, Community Development Officer, introduced the report which presented a review of the grants awarded in the financial years 2019/20 and 2020/21 and an analysis of how the funds were spent. The report covers the Community Grants and the COVID-19 grants.

 

The Chairman noted the issuance of grants totalling £101,557 with groups providing match-funding in excess of £580,000 which demonstrated how well the grants work. He enquired how St John’s Felbridge has performed as an organisation since their grant was awarded.

 

The Community Development Officer replied that she only has a report on the spend of the organisation however confirmed that she will go back to them to confirm how well they have performed since the grant award.

 

The Member highlighted that the grants have helped 6,000 people and have assisted 10 groups in realigning their services and stated that it is the purpose of the grants.

 

                                                                                                 

The Vice-Chairman felt great to see the spread of applications from across the District. He asked how best the Council can communicate the good news to the wider public.

 

The Community Development Officer explained that the Council is reviewing their process as it does announce when money is issued however they found that a better story is when a granted project comes to fruition. She added that they are encouraging Parish Councils to promote project where it falls into their areas.

 

The Chairman sought clarification on the summary and the mention for one application for sport as he noted the applications from Crawley Down Phoenix Netball Club and East Grinstead Hockey Club.

 

The Community Development Officer clarified that the two organisations applied through a joint application.

 

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

 

RESOLVED

 

The Cabinet Grants Panel noted the report.

 

 

9.

Corporate Grant Schemes - Community Grants. pdf icon PDF 140 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Regina, Community Development Officer, introduced the report which presented to the Cabinet Grants Panel six Community Grant applications for consideration. She drew the Panel’s attention to the application from Carers Support West Sussex which has initially requested £5,000 however the Assessment Team found it was closely aligned to the Council’s priorities therefore it has recommended to be funded fully of £9,500.

 

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

4Sight Vision Support 

 

Newsletters in accessible format (large print, email, audio USB/CD or Braille) to be distributed across Mid Sussex.

£1,716.22

£1,716.22

Carers Support West Sussex 

 

Project to identify and engage with male carers in Mid Sussex.

 

£5,000

£9,500

Family Support Work

Set up informal, drop-in group for isolated parents and carers of children at the Bentswood Hub. 

£820

£820

 

TOTAL

£7,536.22

 

£12,036.22

 

 

 

Table 2: Applications Considered but NO GRANT Award Recommended

 

Organisation

Purpose for which grant is sought

Award requested

Group B Strep Support 

 

Set up local campaign around raising awareness of Group B Strep Support in Mid Sussex.

 

£4,500

Kangaroos Mid Sussex

 

Fund Staff costs and activities for existing PALS Saturday Club

£5,000

The Daisy Chain Project 

 

Redecorate office in Worthing. 

 

£500

 

TOTAL

£10,000

 

The Chairman highlighted that awarding the increased grant may set a precedent but noted that the application aligns with the Council’s priorities.

 

The Vice-Chairman shared the Chairman’s concerns and enquired whether the organisation had a plan to fundraise the full amount of the project.

 

The Community Development Officer explained that the organisation had a plan to fundraise in their application as well as use their own funding. However, the Assessment Team, upon review, found the work specifically targets male carers who currently have an underrepresentation in Council services therefore the Council considers it best to get the project off the ground as quickly as possible.

 

The Chairman alluded to the social care crises and highlighted that the role of carers in the community will be ever more important.

 

The Member asked what reserves the organisation has.

 

The Community Development Officer stated that organisations are allowed to have 6 months reserves, but they supported the full funding of the grant due to the gap of underrepresentation of males in the services which the Council is keen to address.

 

The Member sought further information of the research collected about the underrepresentation.

 

The Community Development Officer detailed the Council’s contract with Age UK which is working to improve wider male participation so requires activities that will attract men.

 

The Chairman noted that males of the older generation often have less established community links.

 

The Vice-Chairman echoed the Chairman’s comments and drew attention to the efforts of Age UK in encouraging more males to engage with their services. He expressed support for the recommendation.

 

The Panel were supportive of the application.

 

The Member referenced the application from 4Sight Vision Support and highlighted the considerable cost of producing and delivering newsletters.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

10.

Corporate Grant Schemes - Release of S106 Contributions. pdf icon PDF 113 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Elaine Clarke, Community Facilities Project Officer, presented the report which requested a release of S106 Contributions for consideration by the Cabinet Grants and a variation to the previous grant awarded to Haywards Heath Tennis Club. She added that the variation is a result of increased costs associated with bringing the electrical supply into the park and inflationary pressures however they have sought to reduce cost in other areas.

 

The Chairman expressed support for both the application and the variation and noted that inflation is a fact of life.

 

The Member drew attention to the unaudited accounts of Ashenground Community

Centre which showed deficit of £21,000.

 

The Community Facilities Project Officer responded that the £21,000 is the deficit for the year and the organisation currently has £30,000 in reserve.

 

The Member referenced the number of employees and asked whether any are part-time.

 

The Community Facilities Project Officer confirmed that they are mostly part-time.

 

The Member enquired whether the s106 funds could be used to fund other projects.

 

The Community Facilities Project Officer explained that only one application had been received in respect of these s106 receipts and was therefore funded.

 

The Chairman noted that no Member wished to speak so moved to vote the application and recommendation.

 

The Panel were supportive of the application and recommendation.

 

RESOLVED

 

The Cabinet Grants Panel agreed:             

 

  1. That £10,863 of S106 Contributions be released to Ashenground Community Centre to fund the purchase and installation of an Audio-Visual System to provide a low-cost Community Cinema.

 

  1. That an additional £10,000 of S106 Contributions be released to Haywards Heath Tennis Club to enable the organization to deal with inflationary pressures and ensure delivery of their project to refurbish their clubhouse.