Agenda and draft minutes

Community Grants Panel - Thursday, 12 December 2024 9.30 am

Venue: Meeting Room 1, Abbey House, Abbey Close, Abingdon, OX14 3JE

Contact: Becky Binstead  Democratic Services

Items
No. Item

27.

Chair's announcements

To receive any announcements from the chair and general housekeeping matters.

Minutes:

The chair welcomed everyone to the meeting, outlined the procedure to be followed and advised on emergency evacuation arrangements.

28.

Apologies for absence

To record apologies for absence and the attendance of substitute members.

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Ken Arlett, Denise Macdonald and Andrea Powell.

29.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 356 KB

To adopt and sign as a correct record the Community Grants Panel minutes of the meeting held on 29 February 2024. 

Minutes:

RESOLVED: to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 29 February 2024 as a correct record and agree that the Chair sign these as such.

30.

Declarations of interest

To receive any declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting.  

Minutes:

Councillor Tony Worgan declared an interest, noting that he had previously issued a grant award to Wallingford Rowing Club as part of the 2023 Councillors Grant Scheme. However, he confirmed that this was not a conflict of interest and therefore would remain on the panel to discuss and vote on the applications.

31.

Urgent business

To receive notification of any matters which the chairman determines should be considered as urgent business and the special circumstances which have made the matters urgent.

Minutes:

There was no urgent business.

32.

Public participation

To receive any questions or statements from members of the public that have registered to speak. 

Minutes:

A list showing members of the public who had registered to speak had been sent to the panel prior to the meeting.

33.

South Oxfordshire Capital Grant Scheme 2023/24 pdf icon PDF 457 KB

1.    To review and note the report and recommendations of scoring made by officers.

2.    To make a recommendation to the Cabinet Member for Community Wellbeing about funding grant application(s).

Minutes:

The panel reviewed and noted the submitted grant applications and received representations from supporters of the following applications:

 

Lewknor Parish Council for the installation of solar panels

 

Duncan Boulton, councillor from Lewknor Parish Council, spoke in support of the application.

 

The representative clarified that the total estimated cost of the project was £12,200. The application requested an award of £6,100, as Lewknor Parish Council was now in a position to make the additional £6,100 contribution.

 

The panel requested clarification from the representative regarding the comment from the Parish Council’s auditors warning of low reserves. It was explained that the Parish Council operated within a tight budget and the auditors had recommended that the general reserves be increased to cover unexpected expenditure. The £6,100 contribution from the Parish Council was under a ring-fenced budget for the Jubilee Hall.

 

The panel agreed to note the application of Lewknor Parish Council.

 

 

Thame Sports Club Limited for solar panel installation.

 

Ian Rutherford, Committee member of Thame Sports Club Limited, spoke in support of the application.

 

The panel asked the representative about the biodiversity score. In response, it was explained that there was already a significant number of trees on-site and hedging surrounding the tennis courts. The representative expressed openness to suggestions for further biodiversity efforts but noted limited space for additional planting due to surrounding trees and the proximity to Queens Road.

 

Members enquired into the capacity of the proposed solar panels, specifically their ability to store excess energy. The representative confirmed that the proposal included battery storage for energy use in the evenings, particularly for lighting the clubhouse during winter months. However, it was noted that the floodlights were on a separate electrical supply and would require a second set of solar panels.

 

The representative noted that the National Lottery application for funding was unsuccessful, due to the high level of applicants. Moreover, the sports club funds had decreased since the initial application due to the seasonal nature of the business.

 

Further questions were raised about the intention to sell excess power back to the National Grid. The applicant confirmed that this was part of their plan and that they were working with Time Green Living for advice on securing a better tariff to sell excess energy.

 

The panel agreed to note the application of Thame Sports Club Limited.

 

 

Wallingford Rowing Club to purchase two new pairs/doubles boats

 

Geoff Brown, Katie Greves, Judy Collins, representatives from Wallingford Rowing Club, spoke in support of the application.

 

The panel asked the representatives how they cater to individuals with disabilities. It was explained that there were limitations on the club’s facilities. Fully adaptive rowing was challenging due to space constraints at the current location. However, the club had made adaptions to accommodate children with autism and ADHD.

 

The representatives noted that they had submitted a pre-application to South Oxfordshire District Council for changes to their facilities to better accommodate individuals with physical disabilities.

 

The panel agreed to note the application of Wallingford Rowing Club.

 

 

Tiddington with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.