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 meeting is asked to note the following applications that have been received. However, due to the end of the financial year, they are unable to be supported at this time. They will be considered in more detail at the next meeting.

EyresMonsell Allotment and Gardens Society – new meeting room £3658.00

Removal of old meeting shed and replace with new one. This would allow for allotment society meetings and meetings for the wider community and services to the local school.

Friends of Aylestone Hall Gardens Summer Concert - £12,466.75

A tea time outdoor concert by Leicester Symphony Orchestra to encourage more local visitors to the gardens.

The following applications have been agreed by Wards Councillors between meetings as they are under the threshold for fast-track applications:

• Police & Community Support Group – 100% best attendance project £500;
• Friends of Aylestone Hall Gardens Children’s Gala Day £500 plus £200;
• Aylestone Local Action Group – improvements to shopping area £500;
• Aylestone Local Action Group – planter £500;
• Leicester City Council Sports Regeneration on behalf of Leicester City Tennis Development Group - Beacon Site For Tennis £500
• Gilmorton Development Group – post mounted litter bins £400 x2.

Jerry Connolly, the Member Support Officer to the Aylestone Community Meeting explained that funding applications for the Eyres Monsell Allotment and Gardens Society, new meeting room (£3658) and the Friends of Aylestone Hall Gardens Summer Concert (£12,466.75) had been submitted, and he recommended that they be deferred to the new financial year. He stated that there was a dispute with the finance section regarding the balance remaining in the community meeting budget, as they believed that there was £3900 left in the budget and Jerry believed that there was £6000 remaining. This was still being investigated.

Jerry explained that the finance section had also advised that any funding applications that were supported at the meeting could not be met out of the 2010/11 budget because it was the end of the financial year. There could also be no presumption that any outstanding balance that remained in the community meeting budget would be carried forward to 2011/12.  It was therefore advisable to assume that there would be no carried forward.

However, in view of the forthcoming elections in May 2011, Jerry advised that it would not be appropriate to support funding applications in advance of the new financial year.

Jerry added that funding applications for the following projects had been agreed by Ward Councillors between meetings as they were under the threshold for fast-tacked applications:

• Police and Community Support Group – 100% best attendance project: £500
• Friends of Aylestone Hall Gardens Children’s Gala Day: £500 plus £200
• Aylestone Local Action Group – improvements to shopping area: £500
• Aylestone Local Action Group – planter: £500
• Leicester City Council Sports Regeneration on behalf of Leicester City Tennis Development Group – Beacon Site for Tennis: £500
• Gilmorton Development Group – post mounted litter bins: £400 x 2

Members of the community then discussed the budget and the following comments were made:

• If there was money remaining in the community meeting budget, this should be spent, rather than face the risk that any outstanding balance could not be carried forward.

• There was a belief that the financial year ended on 5 April and not 31 March.

• Better planning was needed in future to avoid a similar situation. It appeared that funding applications had been submitted at the last minute to avoid losing out on funding.

The Chair responded that he was aware that both of the bids had been planned for some time and had not been rushed through at the last minute.

• There was a need for more transparency in the budget system with a clearer system. Decisions had been made outside meetings.

• It would be better to defer the bids to the new financial year, when they could be considered properly and in line with the Terms of Reference.

• It appeared that there was sufficient money remaining to pay for the Eyres Monsell Allotment and Gardens Society funding application for a new meeting room, and there was a suggestion that this should be supported.

The Chair asked for members of the community to indicate whether or not they wished to support the Eyres Monsell Allotment and Gardens Society funding application. A show of hands indicated that 12 were in favour of the application and 5 against.

RESOLVED:

that the funding application from the Eyres Monsell Allotments  and Gardens Society, to the value of £3658 be supported.