Agenda and minutes

Councillor Baxter chaired the Panel and welcomed all those present.  Introductions were made and general housekeeping explained.

It was noted that Councillor Thompson was acting as substitute on behalf of Councillor Bloore, who had sent his apologies.  Councillor Cooper had also sent his apologies.

It was explained that this was the first of three meetings which would consider the bids for grants between £2,881 and £28,800.  The second meeting would take place on 25^th July and consider the bids of £2,880 and below.  A third meeting would be held, in private, when the Panel would consider all bids that had been presented to them and put forward its recommendations for consideration at the Cabinet meeting to be held on 6^th September.  Applicants would not receive formal confirmation in respect of their applications until after that meeting.

The aim of this meeting was to give the Panel Members the opportunity to discuss the applications with the applicants and for applicants to respond to any questions which may arise from those discussions.

Members would be considering the criteria within the Scoring Matrix when reaching their decision in respect of each application.

Each application had been allocated a five minute slot and those in attendance were advised that they were free to go when they had responded to any questions in respect of their application.

Haybridge Community Sports Centre

The Executive Director, Finance and Resources gave a brief summary of the application which covered the aim of the project, evidence of the impact of growth and evidence of other funding streams.

Members of the Panel asked Sally Gill, a representative from the Centre a number of questions including:

·         Accessibility to the community – details of the opening hours were provided.

·         Whether any Section 106 funds had been available for the project – it was explained that this funding had been used for the school and additional class rooms.

·         Whether the Centre was accessible to those with a disability – it was confirmed that it was and that there was specific equipment available for disabled users.

·         Fees payable for membership of the gym and any funds the Centre had – the gym was £15 per month and it was explained that any surplus was used for the ongoing running and maintenance costs of the centre.

Avoncroft Museum – Coach Trips for Schools

The Executive Director, Finance and Resources gave a brief summary of the application which covered the aim of the project and evidence of the impact of growth.

Members of the Panel asked Rachel Shepherd, a representative from the Museum a number of questions including:

·         How many trips they expected to pay for – it was explained that the coach hire was £300 a trip and schools were often reluctant to spend that amount of money or ask parents for a donation when it was for a relatively local trip.

·         The education programme which the Museum had in place – it was confirmed that this was for Key Stage 1 and the importance of interactive sessions at the Museum together with classroom sessions was highlighted.

·         The report which the Museum had commissioned.  It was confirmed that 44 responses had been received and the results incorporated within the report but the Museum had not had sight of the actual completed questionnaires referred to.

·         Overall visitor figures to the Museum – it was confirmed that these had not decreased and that school trips were often from Wolverhampton and the Birmingham area rather than local schools.

Romsley Parish Council – Defibrillator to be installed in the disused Village Telephone Box

The Executive Director, Finance and Resources gave a brief summary of the application which covered the aim of the project and evidence of the impact of growth.

Members of the Panel asked Ruth Mullett, a representative from the Parish Council a number of questions including:

·         What training would be provided – it was confirm that once the defibrillator was in place free training sessions would be available to anyone from the village.

·         Ongoing maintenance – it was confirmed that this would be covered by the Parish Council.  A grant of £1,000 had been received from Severn Trent and fund raising events had been held. 

Clent Parish Council – Table Tennis Table

The Executive Director, Finance and Resources gave a brief summary of the application which covered the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5/17