Agenda item

Councillors are reminded that they will need to declare any interest they may have in budget applications, and/or indicate that Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 applies to them.

Jerry Connolly, Member Support Officer to the Aylestone Community Meeting will give an update on the Community Meeting budget.

Funding applications have been received as follows:

Act Up Young People’s Theatre Company.

The Speakeasy Theatre Company have submitted a joint funding application to the Aylestone, Freeman and Eyres Monsell Wards, requesting £1436 from each Ward. The funding is to develop the Act Up youth theatre to offer free weekly after school sessions throughout the year alongside intensive project weeks, which will run three times a year during school holidays.  This will allow for targeted and age specific social and theatrical skill development that can also be linked to the school curriculum.  Funding for the project has also been applied for from other organisations, including the Trust House Foundation, the High Cross Community Fund and Children in Need. The funding from the Community Meeting budget has been applied for to meet the costs of planning, staffing, hire costs, the design fee and curriculum skills and development.  £4,000 has already been awarded from extended schools’ services.

Saffron Fete

The Saffron Community Enterprises Ltd have submitted a joint funding application to the Aylestone, Freeman and Eyres Monsell Wards. The event would be a repeat and expansion of the fete of 2009, which was supported by the Committee and was attended by residents of Saffron, Eyres Monsell and Aylestone. £567 is requested from the Aylestone Ward to provide additional professional stewards to complement volunteer stewards and the additional insurance to cover small organisation stalls that will not be covered under umbrella organisations so that they can participate and be inclusive.

The funding application will be discussed retrospectively as the event was due to be held on 21 August 2010.

Committee Start Up Funds

The Gilmorton Development Group have submitted a funding application to start up a new committee. £1292 is requested from the Community Meeting budget to pay for stationary, Gilmorton room hire, refreshments at meetings, seating at the ball park, 3 litter bins and installation of the bins.

Dance Tracksuits

The S.T.A.R.S. Freestyle Dance Academy run a freestyle dance school which is based in Aylestone. They have 45 children (boys and girls age 2- 13 years old) of which 32 are local children. S.T.A.R.S have submitted a funding application to request £480 towards the cost of 32 tracksuits for the children. The children are given a chance to attend competitions regionally and nationally and the tracksuits which children can wear for competitions and classes will give the children a sense of belonging. The tracksuits, from a national dance costume supplier, cost £70 each and a contribution of £15 per tracksuit is requested from the Community Meeting budget. The children are looking for ways of raising the balance of £55 through other means, such as sponsored silences, selling dance quizzes or car boot sales.

Carols in the Park 2010-11-09

The Spirit of Aylestone Community Group have submitted a funding application of £380 for an event for the whole community to join in carol singing led by a brass band at Aylestone Hall Gardens, to be followed by refreshments. The event is to be held on Sunday 12 December and will provide an opportunity for children to be involved in a small drama performance. In 2009 there were an estimated 300 people in attendance and singers from the two local primary schools led the carol singing. Continual involvement from young people will be encouraged. The funding will pay for electricity supply costs (from Leicester City Council), the hire of a P.A. system, a donation to St John’s Ambulance (who will be invited to stand-by at the event) and mince pies and refreshments. 

Improvements to Aylestone Shopping Area

The Aylestone Local Action Group have submitted a funding application for £7,900 for a project to improve the locality of the shopping area around Aylestone Village.  The Action Group is in the second year of their project and having successfully participated in ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’, want to continue to improve the locality and build upon their achievements.

The bid is to provide 6 stainless steel litter bins at £600 each, 4 flower troughs and 1 planter including composting and planting, 2 water butts, and the provision and fitting of a community notice board to advertise events to bring residents together.

Bloor Homes have donated £1000 for a stainless steel planter and plants and alternative grants and funding are being investigated. In addition, approximately £200 in donations from local businesses has been secured and £40 generated from local community events.

a)     Act Up Young People’s Theatre Company

RECOMMENDED:

                                that the application for £1,436 from the Act Up Young People’s Theatre Company to develop the theatre be refused.

b)    Saffron Fete

NOTED:

              that the application for £567 from Saffron Community Enterprises Ltd towards the Saffron Fete held on 21 August 2010 could not be considered, as it was not possible to consider applications for funding retrospectively.

c)     Committee Start Up Funds

AGREED:

1)     that a grant of £150 be supported from the Ward Community Fund to Gilmorton Development Group towards the cost of stationery, room hire and refreshments at the Group’s committee meetings; and

2)     that the Gilmorton Development Group be advised to consider other funding sources for the provision of seating at the ball park and the purchase and installation of litter bins, but if no funding is available from other sources, a further application for funding will be considered by this Meeting.

d)    Dance Tracksuits

The meeting was advised that the S.T.A.R.S. Freestyle Dance Academy had applied to this meeting for funding for these tracksuits as there was a strong representation of young people from Aylestone amongst the group’s membership.  The Academy currently had no venue, so it was hoped that the tracksuits would help establish a sense of identity for the young people involved.  Checks had been made and this was not a commercial organisation.

AGREED:

1)         that a grant of £480 be supported from the Ward Community Fund to the S.T.A.R.S. Freestyle Dance Academy towards the purchase of dance tracksuits; and

2)         that the Academy be asked to confirm whether the track suits will be kept by each member, or whether they will be available for use in the future by other members.

e)     Carols in the Park 2010

AGREED:

1)         that a grant of £380 be supported from the Ward Community Fund to the Spirit of Aylestone Community Group towards electricity supply costs, the hire of a PA system, a donation to St John’s Ambulance and refreshments for the 2010 Carols in the Park event; and

2)         that the Spirit of Aylestone Community Group be requested to use a more sustainable model for the event in future years, to reduce its reliance on the Ward Community Fund.

f)      Improvements to the Aylestone Shopping Area

AGREED:

                  that the application from the Aylestone Local Action Group for funding for a project to improve the locality of the shopping area around Aylestone Village be deferred to enable further discussions to be held with the Ward Councillors.

g)    Community Composting

It was noted that, since the agenda had been circulated, an application for funding had been received from the Eyres Monsell Allotment Society for the construction of bays for the composting of green material generated on site.  Details of this application were tabled at the meeting.

The meeting noted that this Society met in Aylestone.

AGREED:

                  that a grant of £1,360.80 be supported from the Ward Action Plan budget to the Eyres Monsell Allotment Society for the construction of bays to contain the areas for composting green material.

h)    Welford Road Local Policing Unit – Neighbourhood Action Team Plain Vehicle

It was noted that, since the agenda had been circulated, an application for funding had been received from the Welford Road Local Policing Unit’s Neighbourhood Action Team for funding towards the hire of a plain vehicle for use by the Team.

Details of this application were tabled at the meeting, but it was noted that, since the application had been received, the Police had decided that, due to the success of the plain vehicle, it now would be fully funded by the Police.  As such, the application was withdrawn.