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, the Member Support Officer to the Community Meeting will give an update on the Community Meeting budget. Jerry will present the following budget applications:

·        Speakeasy Theatre Company                                £1436             Appendix B1

Act Up Young People’s Theatre Company

·        Speakeasy Theatre Company                   £866         Appendix B2

Act Up Young People’s Theatre Company

·        S.T.A.R.S.Freestyle Dance Academy              £480               Appendix B3

Children’s tracksuits.

·        Sgt Leon Gamble and CIC David Budd   £500         Appendix B4

Police Neighbourhood Action Team Transport.

·        Eyres Monsell Allotment & Garden Society      £495               Appendix B5

Portable Diesel Generator for Allotment Maintenance.

·        Aylestone Local Action Group                   £160               Appendix B6

Start up fund.

·        Aylestone Local Action Group                   £1500             Appendix B7

Two decorative planters in Aylestone shopping area.

·        Parks Services, Riverside Team,                   £2683             Appendix B8

Addressing public requests for bins on Aylestone Meadows.

Deferred from October 2009  

·        Parks Services, Riverside Team              £1300             Appendix B9

Cleaning the brooks and streams of litter and flotsam.

Deferred from October 2009        

·        Parks Services, Riverside Team              £3388       Appendix B10

Support of volunteer workers on Aylestone Meadows.

Deferred from October 2009

·        Parks Services, Riverside Team              £776               Appendix B11

Volunteering Support for community working.

Deferred from October 2009

Jerry Connolly, Members Support Officer, gave an update on the latest position of the Community Meeting budget.

The following applications for grant funding were then considered.

a)   Speakeasy Theatre Company – Act Up Young People’s Theatre Company – £1,436

AGREED:

that this application be deferred for consideration in the 2010/11 financial year.

b)         Speakeasy Theatre Company – Act Up Young People’s Theatre Company – £866

RECOMMENDED:

                        that funding of £724 from the Ward Community Cohesion Fund and £142 from the Ward Action Plan Budget be supported for the development of the Act Up Young People’s Theatre Company.

c)      STARS Freestyle Dance Academy – Dance Tracksuits – £480

AGREED:

                  that this application be deferred for further information on whether this is a commercial organisation.

d)     Sgt Leon Gamble and CIC David Budd – Police Neighbourhood Action Team Transport – £500

CIC David Budd introduced a request for funding from the Neighbourhood Action Team for £500 towards hiring a non-police fleet vehicle for one year.  He explained that the Neighbourhood Action Team consisted of a sergeant and five constables, who had volunteered to be trained and equipped to work on specific projects.  The Team spent a lot of time in plain clothes, going in to the community to gather evidence to enable the members to, amongst other things, obtain warrants to enter premises.  An officer showed the meeting the protective clothing and equipment worn for this.

It was questioned why a vehicle could not be provided by the Police, as it appeared to be an operational necessity.  David Budd explained that vehicles previously had been paid for through grants and sponsorship, but these were no longer available.  In addition, Leicestershire Constabulary was having to make significant financial cuts.  The meeting stressed that it supported this request, but was very concerned that the Police were having to make such an application.

RECOMMENDED:

                        that funding of £500 from the Ward Action Plan Budget be supported towards the hire of non-police vehicles for use by the Neighbourhood Action Team.

e)      Eyres Monsell Allotment & Garden Society – Portable Diesel Generator for Allotment Maintenance – £495

The meeting noted that the Eyres Monsell Allotment and Garden Society was based in Aylestone.

RECOMMENDED:

                        that funding of £495 from the Ward Action Plan Budget be approved for the provision of a portable diesel generator for allotment maintenance.

f)Aylestone Local Action Group – Start Up Fund – £160

NOTED:

               that funding of £160 from the Ward Community Fund had been approved for printing and other miscellaneous expenses.

g)   Aylestone Local Action Group – Two Decorative Planters in Aylestone Shopping Area – £1,500

The meeting noted that funding of £1,400 from the Ward Action Plan Budget previously had been ring-fenced for allocation to the Act Up Young People’s Theatre Company, but consideration of the application to which this related had been deferred to the 2010/11 financial year.  This therefore released funds for use in the current financial year that could be allocated to this project.

RECOMMENDED:

                        that funding of £2,900 be approved from the Ward Action Plan Budget for the provision of planters for trees and other facilities and the development of an Aylestone in Bloom project.

h)   Leicester City Council, Parks Service, Riverside Team – Addressing Public Requests for Bins on Aylestone Meadows – £2,683

RECOMMENDED:

                        that funding of £2,500 be approved from the Ward Community Fund for the provision of rubbish bins on Aylestone Meadows.

i)   Leicester City Council, Parks Service, Riverside Team – Cleaning Brooks of Litter and Flotsam – £1,300

AGREED:

                  that, subject to the agreement of the applicant, this application be referred to the Justice Seen Justice Done programme for implementation in consultation with the City Council’s City Warden Service.

j)   Leicester City Council, Parks Service, Riverside Team – Support of Volunteer Workers on Aylestone Meadows – £3,388

The meeting noted that the siting of the proposed storage shed would be agreed with the Aylestone Meadows Appreciation Society and the Police.

RECOMMENDED:

                        that funding of £3,388 from the Ward Action Plan Budget be approved for the provision of a secure steel storage shed and storage racking.

k)   Leicester City Council, Parks Service, Riverside Team – Volunteering Support for Community Working – £776

RECOMMENDED:

that funding of £776 from the Community Cohesion Fund be approved for the provision of potable toilet facilities, hand cleaning materials, and water carriers and boilers.