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ITEM EX16

EXECUTIVE - 15 OCTOBER 2002

VILLAGE HALL/COMMUNITY CENTRE GRANTS 2002/2003

Report by Director of Cultural Services

Introduction

  1. The County Council’s grant scheme for the improvement of village halls and community centres is administered in conjunction with the Oxfordshire Rural Community Council (ORCC). This report recommends the allocation of the money remaining in the grant fund for 2002/03.

    2. Applications Dealt with in July

  2. On 9 July the Executive considered eleven applications. From these the Executive noted one urgent grant approved under delegated power; agreed seven other grants; and deferred three applications for consideration in October against a remaining sum of £22,372. The three deferred schemes were large projects awaiting the outcome of major grant requests from other sources.

    3. Applications Outstanding

  3. Updated notes on the three deferred schemes are attached at Annex 1.

    4. ORCC Recommendations

  4. Given that two of the three projects are now in a position where a County Council grant will make a significant contribution to their progress and that the remaining project is still dependent on the outcome of a major funding application to the Community Fund, ORCC recommends grant awards as follows:

    5. Aston Village Hall £11,186

    Tackley Village Hall £11,186

  5. ORCC further recommends that West Hendred Village Hall Committee be informed that their grant application will be held over by ORCC for re-consideration in 2003/04, in the light of their progress with other major funding bids.

    6. Financial Implications

  6. ORCC’s recommendation of the two awards in paragraph 4 allocates the total sum remaining of £22,372 in the village hall grant budget for 2002/03. However this sum has been identified as part of Cultural Services’ contribution to the County Council’s planned underspend to manage its cashflow in the current financial year. This means that the funds to pay the grants will not be available until the start of the new financial year. The grant recipients will be advised that their grants will not be available to be drawn down before 1 April 2003. This is unlikely to cause any problem with the timing of either scheme.

    7. RECOMMENDATION

  7. The Executive is RECOMMENDED to approve:

          1. the grants proposed in paragraph 4 of the report, and

          2. the proposal to carry over the West Hendred application to 2003/04 as set out in paragraph 5 of the report.

RICHARD MUNRO
Director, Cultural Services

Background papers: Nil

Contact Officer: Nancy Hood, Assistant Director (01865) 810292

September 2002

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