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.

The following applications for funding have been received and Councillors are asked to consider whether to support them.

Application 1

Antisocial Behaviour DVD Project - £500

Welford Road Neighbourhood Policing Team

Leicestershire Constabulary wish to educate youths between the ages of 10 to 18 about antisocial behaviour and the consequences of causing it or being involved in it. We wish to produce a DVD using local kids in local areas to promote a culture of respect and educate the children. We would lime to use the opportunity in the DVD to ask Local Authority Officials to give an input about community and Police partnership working. This is to promote public awareness of our roles.

The DVD would be an educational package and have discussion points available to discuss local issues during the showing of it. The DVD will be used City wide and for a number of years. We want to make the DVD so that young people can relate to it.

Should the DVD prove successful in the City area, we would offer the DVD package to other areas/Counties for a sum. The money would then be paid back into the community.

Police will publicly promote this using media facilities available. It will also be promoted through schools in the area. This is how the committee will know that it is successful.

Application 2

Special Olympics Leicester Multi Sports Club - £1,800

To establish a club for people with Learning Difficulties (aimed at 16 plus)

We are a group people who volunteered at the Special Olympics in Leicester in 2009  and went on to form a committee to ensure that the legacy of the games was not lost  for people who had learning difficulties and in particularly for those who were 16  plus.  We carried out some research, spoke to sports development staff in LCC in both Adults and C&YP,  It became clear that the city seemed to cater for children who had learning difficulties in relation to sports provision but there were far less opportunities for those who had left school.  We wanted to offer not only athletes a range of sports but support to parents/carers who are encouraged to attend. Feedback from the parents/carers we spoke to confirmed that they were pleased that their loved ones “had somewhere to go and something to do once they left school/college” as opportunities were few and far between, this meant some carers who had athletes who travel independently get a few hours breaks from their caring role.

The group of athletes ranges from 17 – 60, they come from different ethnic backgrounds as do our volunteers, the club offers a wonderful opportunity for people from all walks of life/different communities/ages/cultures to come together in sport.   As people who have learning difficulties are often difficult to reach -  this club offers an opportunity to participate in sports, build relationships, to grow and bond, to build self esteem and  just to feel that  they ‘belong’ to a club gives athletes confidence. 

We looked at many venues in the city and opted for Southfields Sports Centre as this suited many of our athletes who are able to get to the centre on foot  or  bus  – which  encourages their independence.  Many of the volunteers provided by Voluntary Action Leicester to support the club also live locally.  We have two LCC Sports Development Officers who are on the committee and provide coaching for the athletes.

We had an initial anonymous gift of £400 which we used to set up the taster sessions, this  paid for rent for Southfields sports hall until Dec 2010.  The ‘taster’ sessions  will provide an opportunity for athletes to try different sports and decide for themselves which sports we will focus on if we are successful in our application. 

The long term objective is to establish a successful sports club and to take  athletes to the next Special Olympics in 2013. An opportunity for athletes to actually compete often for the first time in their lives.

We are confident that the sports club will be successful as numbers on the register are increasing.  We have decided not to advertise the sports club further until funding for next year can be confirmed.  We will need a total of £1,760 to pay for weekly sessions during 2011 this would include a 25% discount offered by Community Services.  Until now committee members have been providing refreshments for athletes/volunteers/carers/family members who come along.  It would be useful is we could cover this cost but will continue to meet this if we are unsuccessful in our bid.  It would also be useful if we could fund a small cupboard to hold our committee records/registers etc.

Budget Summary

Two applications were considered and agreed as follows:

Application 1 – Antisocial behaviour DVD project, Welford Road Neighbourhood Policing Team.

AGREED:

                        That the Community Meeting supports the funding of £500.

Application 2 – Special Olympics Leicester Multi Sports Club - £1800, to establish a club for people with learning difficulties.

It was noted that this was an application to more than one community meeting to spread the funding across wards. It was felt that it was important to continue the momentum of the Special Olympics.

AGREED:

                        That the Community Meeting supports the funding of £1800