Issue - meetings

The Committee received a report setting out the recommendations of the Prosperous Communities Committee in relation to the Councillor Initiative Fund from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2027, and the continued delivery of the Flagship Community Grants Programme from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2027. It was explained that in 2018, the Prosperous Communities Committee had approved the delivery of a Community Grants Programme over a five year period. The Programme comprised £144,000 for the Councillor Initiative Fund from April 2018 to 31 March 2023 (£4000 per Councillor) and £450,000 for the Match Funding Grant, consisting of grants of up to £8,000 (up to 50% of project costs). There was an additional £50,000 for the Community Defibrillator Scheme. A full spend had been forecast for all these schemes.

In July 2022 a concurrent meeting of this Committee and the Prosperous Communities Committee had approved the West Lindsey UK Shared Prosperity Fund Investment Plan (referred to elsewhere in these minutes). The Investment Plan included the creation of a new Flagship Community Grants Programme. In December 2022, the Prosperous Communities Committee had approved the continued delivery of the Councillor Initiative Fund from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2027, and the continued delivery of the Flagship Community Grants Programme (from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2027). It was recommended by the Prosperous Communities Committee that resources should be made available to deliver grant activity aligned to the UKSPF Flagship Community Grants Scheme, those being £144,000 from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2027 for the Councillor Initiative Fund (£4,000 per Councillor for 2023 to 2027) and £200,000 from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2027 for the Flagship Community Grants Programme – year 3 (25/26) and 4 (26/27), to provide continued funding beyond the current UKSPF.

Members were supportive of the proposals and the recommendation as printed was proposed and seconded and, on taking the vote it was unanimously

RESOLVED that

a)    the recommendation from the Prosperous Communities Committee to approve £144,000 for the Councillor Initiative Fund from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2027 be approved; and

b)    the recommendation of the Prosperous Communities Committee to approve £200,000 for the continued delivery of the Flagship Community Grants Programme from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2027 be approved.