Agenda item

The panel will review and amend officer scores as necessary.

The panel considered the applications, taking into account the report of the grants officer on each application, the presentations from the registered public speakers and site photographs and videos.

Using the scoring matrix set out in the policy, the grant officers’ provisional scores and any additional information received at the meeting, the panel awarded scores for each application.

The panel agreed the officer’s recommendations for the following applications:

Goring Village Hall – Improvements to the hall stage area (lighting, sounds, curtains etc)

Sonning Common Parish Council – Village Hall Flat Rood Replacement and Renovation

Based on the additional information provided by the applicant, the officer adjusted recommended scores for the following applications, which were agreed by the panel:

Warborough Parish Council – Play area relocation and improvement and new outdoor gym

Increase the score for New Facilities or Activities from 11 to 12, and the score for Funding the project from 11 to 14 in view of additional information supplied by the applicant.

Woodcote Village Hall – Lighting/electrical improvements and projector for the main hall

The panel voted to increase the score for New facilities or activities from 8 to 9 in light of the cinema club facility that would be provided by installing the projector. Increase the funding the project score from 11 to 14 in light of additional information about intended use of S106 money that had already been budgeted for a separate project to install extra storage.

South Moreton Community Benefit Society Ltd (The Crown community pub) – Renovations to the community owned pub to bring it back into use

The panel voted to increase the score for Community Benefit from 6 to 9 in light of additional information supplied by the applicant. The panel felt that since these planned works would not have to be undone in order to meet the equalities officer’s recommendations in the future, and contingency measures such as grab rails in the existing toilets had already been actioned, the score should be increased to 9.

After discussion, the panel voted to adjust the scores for the following applications:

Little Milton Village Shop Ltd. – Flooring improvements and a patio area

Increase the score for New facilities or Activities from 8 to 10, and the score for Finance from 11 to 12 (following officer recommendation) in view of additional information supplied by the applicant.

Woodcote Parish Council – Pathway running from zebra crossing to school behind the village hall

The panel voted to increase the score for New facilities or activities from 3 to 9 to reflect the fact that the path would create a new, safe access route which would allow pedestrians to safely access both the village hall and library which they currently could not do safely, via the footpath along Reading Road. The applicant provided extra information about safety concerns; pedestrians currently had to walk into the main road when there were cars parked in the parking spaces in front of the village hall, and the panel concluded that this constituted a serious safety concern.

The panel increased the score for Community Benefit from 6 to 9 in light of the fact that the new footpath would allow better access for elderly and disabled people to access the village hall and library. There was some discussion about whether a grasscrete path would be better suited to the environment, but the panel voted to support the officers’ recommendation for a bonded resin path.

The officer increased the recommendation for the Funding the Project score from 11 to 14 in light of extra information provided by the applicant about other financial commitments.

The final scores as agreed were: