Agenda item

Cabinet Member for Policy, Localism and Partnerships, Cllr Paul Myers will provide details on how the Bath City Forum can influence the funding for Bath from the new Community Empowerment Fund.

Councillor Paul Myers was present to provide information on the Community Empowerment Fund that is being introduced this year.

• The purpose of the fund is to help with engagement within communities and to create stronger links.
• The fund will be available to Parish Councils, Town Councils and Bath City Forum for projects that improve the Public Realm. Paul will be writing to these organisations to confirm details of the scheme next week.
• The amount that will be received equates to 50p per head. £44,430 for the City of Bath for this year.
• Applications will be a simple light touch process that will be agreed by the Divisional Director for Strategy and Performance.
• Where an interest is expressed we will be looking for matched funding or volunteer time to be provided.

Questions

Cllr Bob Goodman – Could CIL money be used to match the funding?

Action – Paul Myers will check if this will be possible.

Cllr Shaun Stephenson-McGall – asked, with the financial pressures that the Council is under, are the £20 million in cuts being replaced with this £44,430 the most effective use of this funding? And would it not be better to split the funds into the different ward areas?

Response – The Ward Councillor Imitative Funds are already in place for Ward level projects. Volunteering groups are keen to carry out work with Town/Parish Councils; to deliver localism in Bath requires the sharp end of volunteering group involvement.

This is an opportunity to get some money out in a different way to projects that the Bath Forum recommends.

Cllr Dine Romero – asked, how will the harder to engage communities access funds, they can be often missed as they do not always know how to articulate what they need.

Response – The Bath City Forum is here to look at Bath’s needs and advice, we have co-opted members as well as Councillors to bring a balance.

Sally Harris - Can Bath recommend a number of different projects? And is there a process / criteria for reporting the outcomes?

Response – We want there to be a flexible approach to the applications with ideas going through the Chair of Bath City Forum. If additional guidance were to be required this could be produced at a later stage.

The Forum should record what projects are agreed and look to report back on the outcomes through the meeting’s agenda.

Cllr Matthew Davis – I would be keen to support the Broadmoor Lane Play area in Weston through the use of this fund, would this be a suitable use?

Response - Yes, an expression of interest would need to be raised with the Forum and they would respond to this.

Cllr Bob Goodman – I would see the expressions of interest being submitted through the sub group that are also looking at CIL funding for the forum.

Adam Reynolds – Can an explanation be given of what is meant by Public Realm. 

Response – Some of the drivers for this scheme came from places involved with In Bloom, which is about making a place look better.

Adam Reynolds – Would this include a scheme such as Sustrans volunteers digging out and maintain routes?

Response – This could be put forward but all schemes would be subject to the interpretation of the Divisional Director. 

Jeremy Boss – explained he could see how this could benefit a number of volunteering organisations. The high number of requests we receive could be the bigger issue.