Agenda item

The panel will finalise award recommendations for the consideration of the Cabinet member for grants.

The grants officer reported that, following the panel’s agreed amendments to the scores, five of the six projects previously identified as medium priorities were now high priorities for funding.  This was in addition to the four projects originally identified as high priorities, leaving one project as a medium priority.

The policy stated that medium priority projects would only be funded if there was budget remaining after all high priority projects were awarded the amounts requested, unless the panel decided that a high priority project should receive less than requested for a specific reason.

The amounts requested for all the high priority projects exceeded the available budget by over £125,000.  Therefore, the panel could not recommend funding to the application scored as a medium priority.

As the amounts requested by high priority projects exceeded the available budget, the panel had to decide how to allocate the budget to these projects.

As Councillor Dodds had an interest in one of the applications under consideration, he left the meeting whilst the panel considered whether to allocate the budget proportionately to all the high priority projects or to allocate a specific sum to Thame Town Council’s application first.

The panel agreed to recommend an award of £250,000 of the available budget to Thame Town Council, leaving £399,222 to distribute amongst the remaining eight high priority projects.

Councillor Dodds re-joined the meeting.

A member suggested awarding the eight applications 85.5 per cent of their requested amounts, which would allocate all but £8,047 of the available budget.  Other percentages were considered with a view to allocating as much of the budget as possible.  Eventually, 87 per cent was identified as an alternative option as this would leave just £1, 184 of the budget allocated.

Following further discussion, it was moved and seconded to allocate 85.5 per cent of the requested amount to all eight remaining high priority projects and then redistribute the remaining £8,047 amongst them on a case-by-case basis, based on perceived need. On being put to the vote, the motion was lost.

It was then moved and seconded to allocate 87 per cent of the requested amount to all eight remaining high priority projects, leaving £1,184 of the budget unallocated for this financial year.  On being put to the vote, the motion was carried.

RESOLVED: torecommend that the Cabinet member for development management, building control and housing, and grants make the following capital grant award decisions:

1.     to award Sandford Talking Shop £10,991 towards equipment purchases for the community shop and café, as set out in its application.

2.     to award Berrick and Roke Parish Council £10,018 towards replacement cladding, windows and insulation for the village hall, as set out in its application.

3.     to award Thame Town Council £250,000 towards the rebuilding of the town cricket pavilion, as set out in its application.

4.     to award Goring Heath Parish Council £3,743 towards the replacement of windows at the village hall, as set out in its application.

5.     to award St Catherine’s Church, Towersey £73,950 towards the installation of a toilet, servery and flexible seating, as set out in its application.

6.     to award Nettlebed Village Club £112,883 towards a replacement roof, as set out in its application.

7.     to award Henley Rugby Football Club £130,500 towards building two additional changing rooms, as set out in its application, subject to the grant being paid to Henley Rugby Club (Limited by Guarantee).

8.     not to award a grant to Wheatley Parish Council towards noticeboards and public seating, as set out in its application.

9.     to award Cuddesdon Parochial Church Council £30,450 towards church bell restoration, as set out in its application.

10.  to award Warborough and Shillingford Cricket Club £25,504 towards building a new practice net facility, as set out in its application.