Agenda and minutes

To provide an opportunity for Members and Officers to declare any disclosable pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests in any item on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

In accordance with Procedure Rules Nos.11 and 35 a period of 10 minutes is allocated for members of the public to address the meeting on any matter relevant to the work of the meeting. Individual members of the public may speak for up to 5 minutes but the Chairman or person presiding will decide how the period of time allocated for public speaking will be apportioned where there are a number of speakers. Members of the public are not required to give notice to use this facility. However, as a matter of courtesy, a period of 24 hours’ notice is encouraged.

Members of the public wishing to ask a question at the meeting should provide at least three clear working days’ notice in writing and should include the question with that notice. This will enable an informed answer to be given.

There were no members of the public present.

To consider a report requesting that the existing policy for the allocation of Community Grants be amended to allow applications to be accepted from Town & Parish Councils in order for them to hold funds on behalf of establishing Community Led Planning groups, for the next and subsequent financial years.

The Council’s policy for the allocation of community grants and funding for the 2012/13 financial year was approved on 14^th May 2012. The policy addressed the governance arrangements, procedures and monitoring process to facilitate the grants process. The aim of community grants was to support small scale community projects aimed at improving the quality of life of local communities. Grants were awarded to organisations, projects and events which met the priorities in the Cheshire East Sustainable Community Strategy.

It was now necessary to amend the grants policy to provide that where applications were made under community-led planning, starter grant category applications could be accepted from parish or town councils to hold funds for the community-led planning group while they established if the community was interested in undertaking a community-led plan.

RESOLVED

That the amended policy for the allocation of community grants in 2012/13 as attached as an Appendix to the report be approved.

To determine the award of Community Grants to Voluntary and Community Organisations, which meet the criteria approved by Cheshire East Council.

The Council had received various applications for community grants to be considered in line with the Council’s Policy for the Allocation of Community Grants. Each grant application was outlined in the report, together with the reason for the recommendation in respect of that application.

All of the proposed grants could be funded from within existing budgets approved as part of the Council’s Budget for 2012/13.   

RESOLVED

That the community grants listed in the Appendix be awarded, declined or deferred as indicated.