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.

 

a)      The Members Support Officer will give an update on the latest position with the Community Meeting budget.  A copy of the Spinney Hills Ward Meeting Budget as at 17 January 2011 is attached for information.

 

b)      The following applications for grants are submitted for consideration:-

 

 

Application 1          

 

Applicant:       St Matthews’ Tenants Association)

 

Amount:          £1,100

 

Proposal:       St Matthews’ Right to Read

 

Summary:       This project sets out to produce a booklet that all residents will be able to access and enjoy and which will encourage them to read.  It covers issues including health and eating. 

 

                        The booklet will be distributed to every household in St Matthews and a survey will take place to ascertain how many residents can or cannot read.

 

                        The project is being run jointly by the TARA, the libraries service, the Housing Department, Sure Start and extended services. 

 

Application 2

 

Applicant:       Somali Community Parents Association

 

Amount:          £2,500

 

Proposal:       Office Capacity Project

 

Summary:       The purpose of this project is to build the capacity of this office in order to promote better the service that we do for the residents of Spinney Hills Ward.  The money will be used to pay the cost of promotional materials, phone bills and buy printer and computer. In addition, it will help communities to access ESOL, training through signpost arrangements and engaging colleges to provide classes in the communities.

 

                        The project also helps elderly people with their GP appointments by providing bilingual support as well as communities to access training and ESOL.

 

Application 3

 

Applicant:       Memon Youth Association

 

Amount:          £1,358

 

Proposal:       Annual Sports Tournament

 

Summary:       The association is planning to hold an annual sports tournament in March.  The aims of the project is to help tackle under-representation in sport and to create an environment which provides opportunity and access for participation and competition.  A further aim is to address health in sport, particularly in light of conditions that affect the Asian community like diabetes, heart disease and blood pressure as well as the impending obesity crisis.

 

                        Events in the tournament will range from Table Tennis, pool, snooker, table football, badminton, squash football and cricket.  The event will run on weekends over a period of four weeks. 

 

                        Funding as also been requested from the Charnwood, Coleman and Stoneygate Ward Community Meetings for this project.

 

 

Application 4

 

Applicant:       Taylor Road Basketball Development CIC

 

Amount:          £1,200

 

Proposal:       Taylor Road Year Six Development Day

 

Summary:       The application is to provide an outing to a professional basketball game, with an opportunity to interact with professional sports people.

 

                        We identify a need for this sort of programme due to the fact that a development day for year 6 children and their families is an opportunity that they could not otherwise afford.  We want the programme to give a lift to people in the most deprived areas of the city.

 

                        A Leicester Tigers Development Day begins with the children and their family members being collected and transported to the home of the Leicester Riders.  When they arrive they will be introduced to the game through a 90 minute fun basketball camp in which they will have an opportunity to learn the fundamentals of the game.

 

                        After the camp they will be given a healthy meal and settle down to watch a Leicester Riders game and see role models in action.  Once the game is over there will an opportunity for the children to speak to the players and get autographs.  Everyone will then be transported home. 

 

Application 5

 

Applicant:       Mr Mazhar Ali

 

Amount:          £13,531

 

Proposal:       Champion Boxing Club

 

Summary:       The club runs two sessions a day, six days a week.  Currently, 30-50 adults and 40-60 children come to the club from the local area.  The application will pay for various pieces of boxing equipment.

 

Application 6

 

Applicant:       Active Youth

 

Amount:          £333

 

Proposal:       Enjoy, Celebrate and Learn

 

Summary:       The proposal is an event which will bring together young people from all backgrounds and cultures to learn, enjoy and celebrate together.  The event will take place at the Highfields Centre on Tuesday 21^st December 6:00-10:00pm.  The event will be open to all young people from the ward aged 13 and above.  The money will pay for venue hire, equipment, staffing costs, refreshments and publicity. 

 

Application 7

 

Applicant:       Leicester United Sports and Culture

 

Amount:          £500

 

Proposal:       February Mid-term Break – Somali Girls Sports Programme

 

Summary:       The project aims to engage with Somali girls during the February 2011 February Midterm Break with a sporting programme that will begin to get them interested in sporting events and maintaining a healthy fitness regime throughout their lives.  The application will pay for venue rental, football and athletics kits and refreshments.

 

Steve Letten, Members Support Officer with Leicester City Council, advised that, in addition to the applications included on the agenda, expenditure of £1,000 for 5 grit bins had been approved by the Ward Members, so that the bins could be installed during the recent bad weather.  The bins had been installed around Mere Road.

 

Steve Letten then reported on budget applications that had been received. Applicants who were in attendance were invited to explain their bids and the applications were discussed as follows:

 

Application 1

St Matthews’ Tenants Association – St Matthews’ Right to Read – £1,100

The applicant explained that the Tenants Association wanted to be able to provide everyone with a book.  Recipients then would be tested, to see if they could read, and if help was needed, this would be provided.

 

RESOLVED:

                        that the application be supported to the sum of £1,100.

 

Application 2

Somali Community Parents Association – Office Capacity Project – £2,500

The applicant explained that the Association had been providing services for three years, signposting community members to services that could help them with language skills, finding work and integrating in the community.  This application related to a project to increase capacity, to enable the Association to help more members of the community.

 

RESOLVED:

that the application be rejected, but the applicant be encouraged to seek funding from the community budget for a new, more focused project.

 

Application 3

Memon Youth Association – Annual Sports Tournament – £1,358

The meeting noted that applications for funding for this project also had been made to the Charnwood, Coleman and Stoneygate Community Meetings.  The Association would be funding approximately £3,000 of the costs associated with this project.

 

RESOLVED:

a)         that the application be supported to the sum of £1,300; and

 

b)         that the applicant be advised to liaise with the City Council’s Standards and Development Manager (Parks and Green Spaces service) for assistance in the development of organised sports.

 

Application 4

Taylor Road Basketball Development CIC – Taylor Road Year 6 Development Day - £1,200

Further information had been requested on this application, including whether healthier means of getting to the event could be found, and whether the Leicester Riders could provide a subsidy on the entrance fee to the basketball game.  This information had not yet been received.

 

RESOLVED:

that the application be deferred until the information requested has been supplied.

 

Application 5

Mr Mazhar Ali – Champion Boxing Club – £13,531

In response to questions raised at the meeting, it was noted that the applicant was based at the S & S Gym and had approximately 40 young people involved in the project.

 

RESOLVED:

that the application be supported to the sum of £1,000, on the condition that this be used specifically for the purchase of appropriate insurance and that evidence that this had been done be provided.

 

Application 6

Active Youth – Enjoy, Celebrate, Learn – £333

Although this event had been held on 21 December 2010, the application had been received before the event had been held.  Applications for funding also had been made to the Castle and Soneygate Community Meetings.

 

RESOLVED:

that the support in the sum of £333 given to this applicant be endorsed.

 

Application 7

Leicester United Sports and Culture – February Mid-term Break: Somali Girls Sports Programme – £500

The applicant explained that it was hoped to encourage girls to participate in sports so that next year they could take part in the Super Cup competition.

 

RESOLVED:

that this application be supported in the sum of £350, on the condition that none of this funding is to be used for refreshments.

 

General Issues

Some members of the community expressed an interest in having greater input in to the determination of grant applications.

 

The Ward Members were happy to do this and agreed to ensure that this opportunity was given.