Agenda item

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 Rugby Club and there had been legal issues for the Club to address. It was explained that they did seek to be compensated for the works however the Club were unsuccessful and further legal action would be financially prohibitive for the Club  He understood the doubts created by the previous director however drew attention to the need to make the building watertight before the Club can consider growing and expanding.

The Vice-Chairman expressed his support for young people engaging in physical activities and pursuing a healthy lifestyle. He also supported the idea of having Building Control Officers input before and after the works are carried out to ensure the buildings safety.

The Chairman proposed that the Panel defer the application until further information is submitted. 

Members were supportive of deferring the application.

Mandy Cunningham, Commissioning & Partnerships Advisor, introduced the report to present ten Community & Economic Development applications with all but one application having the suggestion to award funds.

Each application had been assessed against a standard check-list and considered by a ‘Grants Assessment Group’ to ensure a consistent approach to the awarding of grants.

The Community & Economic Development Grants which are recommended for consideration and approval by the Panel are set out below:-

The Commissioning & Partnerships Advisor introduced the grant for the Parochial Church Council of St Mary Magdalene, Bolney to install a hand rail on the footpath leading up to the church. It was recommended by the officer that only £5,000 of the £6,405 requested be granted with the remaining to be funded by the Church.

The Vice-Chairman believed that the maintenance of a public right of way was the responsibility of West Sussex County Council and sought clarification from the Solicitor.

Franca Currall, Solicitor, enquired whether the path leads through the Church or did pass through the land and link up with the highway outside the boundary.

The Commissioning & Partnerships Advisor confirmed that the correspondence between the Council and the Church indicates that the path is on their land

The Solicitor stated that, following confirmation from the Commissioning & Partnerships Advisor, it would be the responsibility of the landowner.

The Chairman expressed his awareness of the Diocese’s wealth and suggested to the Panel that the Council only funds £2,500 with the Church meeting the remaining of the cost.

Members were supportive of awarding £2,500.

The Commissioning & Partnerships Advisor introduced the report for the High Street Traders Association. She confirmed that despite the requests from officers, neither accounts nor a constitution has been provided so the assessment group cannot comment on the legal status of the organisation in relation to eligibility or their financial state. There was also insufficient evidence in the application for the need of the project.

Members were not supportive of the application.

Members were supportive of the remaining eight applications.

RESOLVED

i.          That £54,603 of Local Community Infrastructure S106 contributions is granted to Slaugham Parish Council in order to facilitate the implementation of car parking and hard landscaping for the new community building and sports pavilion at Finches Field, Peace Pottage.

ii.          That a Facility Grant of £50,000 for East Grinstead Rugby and Football Club be deferred pending further information on the building’s safety.

iii.          That a Community and Economic Development Grant of £2,320 be granted to East Grinstead Museum, East Grinstead to fund their Villages at War project.

iv.          That a Community and Economic Development Grant of £1,728 be granted to Family Support Work, Haywards Heath to fund their Drop in Sessions supporting vulnerable families.

v.          That a Community and Economic Development Grant of £467 be granted to Friends of Burgess Hill Circle Network, Burgess Hill to fund the purchase of a portable hand washing facility.

vi.          That a Community and Economic Development Grant of £3,500 be granted to Haywards Heath Town Team, Haywards Heath to fund the Mid Sussex STEM Challenge.

vii.          That a Community and Economic Development Grant is not granted to the High Street Traders Association as their application did not meet the criteria of the grant.

viii.          That a Community and Economic Development Grant of £5,000 be granted to Kangaroos to fund a holiday club for children/young people with learning disabilities.

ix.          That a Community and Economic Development Grant of £2,500 be granted to Parochial Church Council of St Mary Magdalene, Bolney to fund the installation of a hand rail.

x.          That a Community and Economic Development Grant of £3,540 be granted to Revitalise Respite Holidays to fund respite holiday breaks for disabled people.

xi.          That a Community and Economic Development Grant of £5,000 be granted to Stone Quarry Crew, East Grinstead to fund their youth engagement workshops.

xii.          That a Community and Economic Development Grant of £500 be granted to Summerhaven, Burgess Hill to fund a drop-in facility for adults with mental health problems.