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)        An update on the 2012/13 Community Meeting budget will be provided

 

b)        The meeting is asked to note the following grant applications, which have been approved under the Council’s fast track procedure:-

 

Application 1

 

Project:           Braunstone Adventure Play Ground graffiti / art project

 

Amount approved:   £500

 

Applicant:      Braunstone Adventure Play Ground – Mike Keen

 

Summary:

 

Most of the outside perimeter wall of the Adventure Playground has been covered with professional graffiti / art.  This project is needed to complete the graffiti / art to the remainder of the perimeter wall that faces on to Gooding Avenue and to remove minor ‘unofficial’ graffiti on the existing artwork. 

 

If the wall was to just be painted over, it would encourage more unofficial graffiti and antisocial behaviour, attracting young people to the site. The official graffiti should minimise this, evidenced by the fact that over 15 years the official graffiti has remained largely undamaged, apart from a few recent minor incidents.

 

 

Application 2

 

Project:           Braunstone History & Art Exhibition 2013

 

Amount approved:   £500

 

Applicant:      Anita Robinson, Parks Officer, Leicester City Council

 

Summary:

 

The Braunstone History and Art Exhibition on 23 June 2013 will showcase the work of the local Braunstone art and history clubs as follows:-

 

1       To open up the stable block museum on the last Tuesday of every month (from 26/02/13) by the history club – to encourage the local community into the park

2       The 4 local primary schools will be bringing their year 6 classes – one school per morning from 17/06/13 to 20/06/13. Each class will spend time with both the local history club in the museum and Parks Services ground staff in the walled garden – learning about the past history of the park and the local community.

3       The main exhibition will take place on Sunday 23rd June 2013 from 1.00pm – 4.00pm in the Braunstone Park stable block. The history club will exhibit history on Braunstone, the park, the Winstanleys, the hall and the American 82nd Airborne division. The art club will exhibit their paintings and drawings in the art room. The Hathern Brass Band will be playing in the walled garden from 2.00pm to 3.00pm.

 

The above event has arisen from the success of the first exhibition held on the morning of October 24th 2012.  This had 110 visitors from all over the county, who came during a 2 hour slot.  The feedback indicated that most of the attendees wanted to come back again and people who couldn’t make a week day had rung up to ask that something similar be put on at a weekend.

 

By having the local schools here the week before, it is hoped that local children will want to come back on the Sunday – with their families – and enjoy the exhibition, the band and bring a picnic along to enjoy in the walled garden.

 

 

c)        The following grant applications are submitted for consideration:-

 

Application 3:

 

Project:           Green Barriers

 

Amount requested: 

 

Item	Actual/Estimated Cost	Amount Requested
Pyracanthia ex James Coles x 75
10 litre pots 1.2 m to 1.5m @ £11.50 each	Actual	£852.50
TOTAL		£862.50

 

Applicant:      Rowley Fields Allotment Society

 

Summary:

 

The allotment society shares a boundary with the Great Central Way, which over the years has been the entry point for people breaking in to the site and carrying out various acts of anti-social behaviour to members’ property on the site.  The frequency of these events has increased recently.

 

As the boundary is more than 600 metres long, repairing or replacing the chain link fence would cost over £40,000.  It therefore is proposed to resolve the situation with a “green” solution.  The area of the allotment site that adjoins the Great Central Way is a Biodiversity Enhancement Site.

 

The plants its proposed to use are 1.2 metres high, so will give a comparatively quick solution, as this size of plant will establish a hedge more successfully.

 

Volunteers from the site will clear and plant the boundary.

 

 

Application 4

 

Project:           Uniforms

 

Amount requested: 

 

Item	Actual Cost (£)	Amount Requested (£)
T-shirt @ £10	Actual	£320
Sweatshirt @ £15	Actual	£480
Jazz Shoes @ £10	Actual	£320
Jazz Pants @ £10	Actual	£320
TOTAL		£1,440

 

Applicant:      K T Performing Arts

 

Summary:

 

The group recently moved in to the Winstanley Centre in Braunstone.  The Group’s resources were exhausted by refurbishing the premises to turn them in to professional performing arts studios.

 

Since the studios opened on 12 January, 32 additional students have been attracted from the Braunstone area, 12 of whom are boys.  Each member of the preforming arts centre is supplied with a uniform that consists of a t-shirt, sweatshirt, dance pants, dance shoes and a bag.  Each item displays the school logo.  The total cost for each is £45.  This application is therefore for funding to provide a kit for each of the 32 new students.

 

 

Application 5

 

Project:           Lame Duck Summer PGL Activity Camp

 

Amount requested: 

 

This is a joint application to five Wards.  The amount requested from each Ward is therefore £1,150.

 

The total costs are summarised as follows:-

 

Item	Actual Cost (£)	Amount Requested (£)
Camp Fees	£5,500	£5,500
Coach	£1,100	£1,100
Mini-bus	£250	£250
Miscellaneous equipment (first aid etc)	£150	£150
50 x £25 contribution each young person	minus	(£1,250)
TOTAL		£5,750

 

Applicant:      Leicester Play Fair – Stephen Ashley - Secretary

 

Summary:

 

1. Summer (dates to be confirmed) 2013 – PGL Shropshire.

 

2. 50 young people 10 -12 years old, 10 from each of the 5 wards. These young people are all from different backgrounds, culture & religion and covering a wide range of schools. This is a semi-targeted activity – throughout the year staff identify young people who would benefit from this camp. The children would be unlikely to afford this opportunity on their own, or they are likely to have low esteem / need time for themselves, etc.

 

3. The project has been running for a number of years very successfully. It is a good example of how communities can work together to better understand each other and break down barriers. This is even more important in the present climate with new people moving into areas giving young people a greater understanding and respect for the diversity in our city.

 

4. This project was supported by a small grant from Leicester City Council, but this has been cut. Play Fair is therefore seeking assistance from community meetings until fundraising can be done from other sources to get the camp on a more sustainable footing.

 

5. Most young people return from this camp having new friends and more easily get involved in other inter-playground activities throughout the year. They also appear to have a more positive attitude and a great sense of achievement.

 

 

Application 6

 

Project:           Braunstone FoodShare

 

Amount requested: 

 

Item	Actual Cost (£)	Amount Requested (£)
2013 affiliation fee to FareShare	1,000 (Actual)	300
Equipment (incl. food bags for hygiene etc)	1,300 (Estimate)	420
Hire of hall (incl. heating, lighting, maintenance etc)	1,560 (Estimate)	1,000
Contingency for second distribution centre or Healthy Eating input (eg extra volunteer expenses, milk for tea, extra equipment, etc)	1,500 (Estimate)	780
TOTAL		£2,500

 

Applicant:      Revd Chris Burch

 

Summary:

 

Braunstone FoodShare was started in January 2012, in response to a perception by Chris Burch (St Peter’s Church Braunstone Park) and Ali Gamble (b-connected) that food poverty was becoming a significant factor of life in the Braunstone estate.

 

They started to collect food from Leicester Fareshare, which rescues food (within its sell-by date) that otherwise would go to landfill, divide into carrier bags and distribute it to local residents.

 

From a start of about 30 bags given, there is we a membership of over 300, and up to 130 bags are given out every fortnight.  As the operation has grown, so have the costs (the food itself is free, but there are significant overheads, both from Fareshare and from local costs).

 

Consideration is being given to developing the project, either by opening a second distribution centre in South Braunstone, or by introducing educational input such as healthy eating, recipes, etc.  Tea and cakes/biscuits are already offered, as a way of helping to build community while trying to tackle one aspect of poverty.

 

We do not ask for evidence of benefits etc – food poverty sadly includes families on low wages and not on benefits – nor do we limit members to the Braunstone estate (though we do not advertise beyond it).  The vast majority of members are local, and there is some evidence that people who live across the park are inhibited from walking over to St Peter’s.

 

A successful application has been made for a “Community First” grant to the CDF.  The application was based on figures available at the time, but some of the costs have since risen, (for example, the affiliation fee).  This is reflected in the first two lines of the funding requested.

 

Earlier in 2012 a grant of £500 was received from the Braunstone Foundation (for refreshments), and a donation of £2,164 from Asda.  This is half spent, so the rest will be used to add to the development fund.

 

St Peter’s has waived a third of the hall hire cost in 2012 (approximately £560) and, subject to discussion in the church council and with the FoodShare volunteers, is likely to do the same again for 2013.

a)         Budget Update

 

The Chair advised the meeting that from 1 April 2013 the Ward Members would be able to approve applications for grants up to the value of £500 themselves and not have to wait for them to be approved by the relevant Assistant Mayor, as at present.

 

b)        Grant Applications already Approved

 

The Chair advised that the following applications had been approved under the Council’s fast-track procedure:-

 

i)          Braunstone Adventure Play Ground Graffiti / Art Project

 

NOTED:

That a grant of £500 had been approved under the Council’s fast-track procedure to Braunstone Adventure Play Ground for a graffiti / art project.

 

ii)         Anita Robinson – Braunstone History & Art Exhibition 2013

 

The meeting noted that this Exhibition was part of a programme of events taking place in the stable block museum at Braunstone Hall.  Details of this are attached at the end of these minutes for information.

 

NOTED:

That a grant of £500 had been approved under the Council’s fast-track procedure to Anita Robinson, (Parks Officer with Leicester City Council), towards the Braunstone History and Art Exhibition 2013.

 

c)         Grant Applications

 

The following applications for grants were then considered:-

 

i)          Rowley Fields Allotment Society – Green Barriers

 

AGREED:

That a grant of £862.50 to Rowley Fields Allotment Society for the purpose of creating green barriers to the site be supported.

 

ii)         K T Performing Arts – Uniforms

 

The meeting noted that the premises used by K T Performing Arts were available for use by older people in the afternoon during the week, as the studios were only needed for the group’s members in the evening.

 

AGREED:

That a grant of £1,440 to K T Performing Arts for the purchase of uniforms be supported.

 

iii)        Leicester Play Fair – Lame Duck Summer PGL Activity Camp

 

AGREED:

That a grant of £1,150 to Leicester Fair Play towards the provision of the Lame Duck Summer PGL Activity Camp be supported.

 

iv)        Revd Chris Burch – Braunstone FoodShare

 

AGREED:

That a grant of £2,500 to Reverend Chris Burch towards the Braunstone FoodShare project be supported.

 

v)         Adel Al-Salloum – “Shiny” Event

 

AGREED:

That a grant of £150 to Adel Al-Salloum towards the “Shiny” event being held as part of The Spark Festival in June 2013 be supported.

 

vi)        Sanchez Allen-Coltman – Fitness Classes, Health Screening and Fitness Training

 

AGREED:

That consideration of this application be deferred to enable further information on the project to be obtained.

 

d)        Budget Position

 

The Chair reported that, having supported the grant applications outlined above, approximately £2,000 remained in the Ward Community Budget for 2012/13. 

 

The City Council recently had agreed that 10% of each Ward’s annual Community Budget (£18,000) could be carried over to the 2013/14 financial year.  However, as money remained in this Ward’s budget, if applications for grants of up to £500 were received in time they still could be considered under the Council’s fast-track procedure for payment in the current financial year.