Minutes – Community Affairs Committee (Discretionary Grants) – 3 October 2022
The agenda and papers for this meeting are available here: Community Affairs Committee – 3 October 2022 (Discretionary Grants) – agenda and papers
The minutes of this meeting are presented below.
You can also download a PDF copy of the minutes here: Minutes – Community Affairs Committee (Discretionary Grants) – 3 October 2022
COMMUNITY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Minutes
Date: 3 October 2022
Time: 3.00pm – 4.48pm
Location: The Council Chamber – The Council House • North Street • CHICHESTER • West Sussex • PO19 1LQ
PRESENT: Councillor Apel (Chairman), Councillor Gershater, Councillor Sharp
EX-OFFICIO: The Mayor (Councillor Joy), the Deputy Mayor (Councillor Plowman), Councillor Quail (Chairman of Planning & Conservation) and Councillor Scicluna (Chairman of Finance)
ALSO IN ATTENDANCE: Councillor Corfield, Councillor Gaskin, The Deputy Town Clerk, Member Services Support Officer, Committee and Communities Officer and 7 members of the public to present their presentations
IN ATTENDANCE VIA ZOOM: Councillor Barrie
35. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
RESOLVED to accept and approve apologies and reasons for absence from the meeting from Councillor C Hughes and Councillor J Hughes.
36. INTRODUCTION FROM THE CHAIRMAN AND OUTLINE OF THE GRANTS PROCESS
The Chairman welcomed the Committee Members to the meeting.
Members were also reminded that the large grant applicants would have the opportunity to give the Committee a five-minute presentation followed by five minutes of questions from Members.
37. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST BY MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE IN MATTERS ON THE AGENDA FOR THIS MEETING
The Mayor declared an interest as a Member of West Sussex County Council
Councillor Plowman and Councillor Scicluna both declared an interest as Members of the Priory Park Society.
Councillor Sharp declared an interest as a Member of West Sussex County Council, Chichester District Council, and the City Council representative of the Information Shop for Young People.
Councillor Quail declared an interest as a steward for Chichester Children’s Bookfest.
Councillor Apel declared an interest as a Member of Chichester District Council.
38. PRESENTATIONS FROM LARGER GRANT APPLICANTS
Representatives of the following organisations gave a presentation in support of their Discretionary Grants application and answered Members’ questions.
- Chichester Information Shop for Young People
- Children’s Bookfest, Chichester
- Friends of Centurion Way
- Pregnancy Options Centre
- Terry’s Place
- West Sussex Scout Council
The Chairman thanked all the organisations for providing the additional information to the Committee in support of their applications.
39. PUBLIC BODIES (ADMISSION TO MEETINGS ACT 1960)
RESOLVED that the public and press be excluded from this meeting due to the confidential nature of the business to be transacted namely financial and business affairs of third parties
40. CONSIDERATION OF DISCRETIONARY GRANT APPLICATIONS 2022/2023
The Discretionary Grant Budget for 2022/2023 is as follows:
Discretionary Grant Budget for 2022/2023 £43,621
Total Discretionary Grants awarded in April 2022 £23,556.37
Remaining Discretionary Grants budget 2022/2023 £20,064.63
41. CONSIDERATION OF THE SMALLER GRANT APPLICATIONS
After a discussion of the Grant applications received, the Committee agreed to award Grants in the smaller application group as follows:
(i) 12th Chichester Scout Group
It was RESOLVED that a Grant of £500 be awarded to 12th Chichester Scout Group to support the installation of an external defibrillator at the scout hut in Sherborne Road.
(ii) Chichester Men’s Shed
It was RESOLVED that a Grant of £500 be awarded to Chichester Men’s Shed to assist with promotional costs and costs towards developing the website.
(iii) Chichester Symphony Orchestra
It was RESOLVED that a Grant of £500 be awarded to Chichester Symphony Orchestra so they may continue to provide family concerts and visit local primary schools to demonstrate the instruments whilst keeping ticket prices low.
(iv) Priory Park Society
It was RESOLVED that a Grant of £500 be awarded to Priory Park Society towards the cost of a defibrillator that will be available to the public and visitors of the park.
(v) Rotary Club of Chichester Harbour
It was RESOLVED that a Grant of £500 be awarded to Rotary Club of Chichester Harbour to assist with needed funds for Christmas sacks for adults and children in Chichester.
(vi) West Sussex Mediation Service
It was RESOLVED that a Grant of £500 be awarded to West Sussex Mediation Service to cover the full costs of servicing one case from start to finish with follow ups.
Total smaller Discretionary Grants awarded £3,000
Remaining Discretionary Grants budget for 2022/2023 £17,064.63
42. CONSIDERATION OF LARGER GRANT APPLICATIONS
(i) Chichester Information Shop for Young People
It was RESOLVED that a Grant of £2,000 be awarded to Chichester Information Shop for Young People to cover the cost of the Clinical Supervision which was deems a very important aspect in ensuring that the services offered reached a high potential.
Members agreed how important it was to support such a charity and that funding was crucial.
Councillor Scicluna abstained from the vote.
(ii) Children’s Bookfest, Chichester
It was RESOLVED that a Grant of £1,360 be awarded to Children’s Bookfest, Chichester to purchase 20 books each month during 2023 for the children of families who use the Chichester Food Bank.
(iii) Friends of Centurion Way
It was RESOLVED that a Grant of £2,500 be made but, that the applicant be asked for more detailed costings before the funds were released.
(iv) Pregnancy Options Centre
It was RESOLVED that a Grant of £2,000 be awarded to Pregnancy Options Centre to fund education sessions delivered to young people in the Chichester catchment area.
Members agreed on the importance of the Centre and noted they had been granted money by Chichester City Council in the past.
(v) Terry’s Place
It was RESOLVED that a Grant of £1,819 be awarded to Terry’s Place to provide better kitchen equipment and sensory activities to help and support up to 15 older people and their carers each day.
It was noted that these services were currently free to those in need and it was very important to support a charity like this so that they could continue to offer their services free of charge.
(vi) West Sussex Scout Council
Members acknowledged the importance of the work of West Sussex Scout Council however, as this event had already passed, the City Council were unable to grant the funds retrospectively.
It was RESOLVED that a Grant of £1,500 be awarded to West Sussex Scout Council for a future event of young people (Cub Scouts) to race Box Karts in a safe and controlled environment (to be held at Goodwood Racecourse).
Total larger Discretionary Grants awarded £8,679
Total Discretionary Grants awarded £11,679
Remaining Discretionary Grants budget 2022/2023 £8,385.63
43. DATE OF NEXT ORDINARY MEETING
DATE OF NEXT ORDINARY MEETING: 14 NOVEMBER 2022
The meeting closed at 4.48pm