Cabinet Member for Finance Ref: FIN05(16/17) Key Decision: No Members’ Big Society Fund – Funding Part I Allocations Electoral Divisions: November 2016 Arundel and Wick, Bewbush and Ifield Report by Executive Director Corporate West, East Grinstead Meridian, East Preston Resources and Manager Community and Ferring, Hassocks Safety and Wellbeing and Victoria, Horsham

Tanbridge and Broadbridge Heath, Midhurst, Storrington

Executive Summary

A Members’ Big Society Fund of £200,000 has been made available in 2016/17 (FR01 (11/12) amended annually). This report seeks the approval for the allocation of up to £100,000.

Recommendation

That £97,800 from the Members’ Big Society Fund is allocated to the following: • Disability Access - East Grinstead Area £1,800 • Disability Access - East Grinstead Area £5,000 • Burgess Hill Shed £6,500 • Lorica Trust £10,000 • Men's Shed (Horsham) £10,000 • Rother Valley Together £10,000 • Sussex Clubs For Young People (Countywide) £14,500 • Home-Start Arun £20,000 • Jubilee Community Centre £20,000

1. Background

1.1 A Members’ Big Society Fund of £200,000 was made available in 2016/17. Members of the Council are required to research and scrutinise proposals in their area and carry out suitable consultation prior to sponsoring proposals.

1.2 In order to be considered for Members’ Big Society funding, applications to the Fund had to: • Be submitted by Friday 9th September 2016 at 12 noon • Have a written statement of support by the local Member(s) of the County Council included with the application form • Support the delivery of the County Council’s Future West Sussex aims and ambitions. • Be of significance to a local community or West Sussex as a whole and be both sustainable and of lasting benefit

Proposals have not been recommended unless they have a supporting statement from the local member.

1.3 Applications were invited from organisations whose projects: • are community-led, • tackle a locally identified and evidenced need, • provide additional capacity • expand the geographical reach of an existing project, • increase local involvement

1.4 For the first round of this year there was a particular focus on projects that: • help people to maintain independence in later life • reduce social isolation and loneliness • bring people together to strengthen communities.

1.5 The Fund cannot be used to: • support any project or service where it is otherwise more appropriate to be provided by an authority with the means to precept, or any government funded organisation, or any organisation that the County Council pays a levy to. • support any expenditure that is the responsibility of another party. • support revenue expenditure where it does not form part of start-up or development proposals as necessary expenditure to attain sustainability.

1.6 As the funding should not be used to substitute agreed County Council budgets, it should therefore not be paid to County Council services, unless under exceptional circumstances.

1.7 Successful applications may not be funded in full if there are aspects of the bid which do not meet the above criteria or could be delivered more efficiently using a different approach.

2. Engagement

2.1 All members have been given the opportunity to support proposals. Members are required to have undertaken appropriate consideration prior to the submission of their supporting statement.

2.2 Potential applicants were given the opportunity to attend a number of pre application support session held at venues across the County

2.3 A cross-party Member Reference Group considered the project summary and outcome intentions for each application supported by a local member(s). Their collective feedback on how well each application met the requirements of the Fund was provided to the Cabinet Member for Finance.

3. Proposal

3.1 The funding of £200,000 for 2016/17 has been agreed and must be allocated prior to the end of March 2017. During 2016/17 two decision points are planned, allocating up to £100,000 at each round. Any amounts not awarded in the first round are to be made available in the next.

3.2 The County Council is looking to ensure that best value for the Fund is achieved. Discussions with applicants are ongoing to explore ways in which efficiencies can be made, savings on initial cost estimates can be achieved and resources can be shared.

3.3 All unsuccessful applicants will be offered the opportunity to work with officers to explore other potential funding streams, ways in which the County Council can promote their activities or connect them to support from other organisations.

3.4 In the first round for 2016/17, 31 applications were received for a total value of £565,575 which equates to this funding round of £100,000 being more than 5 times oversubscribed. This report proposes the allocation of £97,800 to 9 projects.

3.5 It is recommended that the following proposals be supported and funding be committed to the following applications on receipt of a signed funding agreement.

Applicant Project Description Supporting Member Bid Proposed Amount Allocation up to the value of: Disability Access - Visually Impaired Towards the cost of running the Visually Liz Bennett, East £1,800 £1,800 East Grinstead Area Readers Group Impaired Readers Group including office costs, Grinstead Meridian transport costs and equipment. Disability Access - Mobility Equipment Towards the cost of running the mobility Liz Bennett, East £5,000 £5,000 East Grinstead Area Loan Service equipment loan service including office costs, Grinstead Meridian rent and equipment maintenance. Burgess Hill Shed BH-Shed Workshop Towards the provision of health and safety Andy Petch, Hassocks £6,500 £6,500 training, the purchase of woodworking and Victoria machinery and hand tools. Men's Shed Horsham Men's Shed Towards the establishment of a Men’s Shed David Sheldon, £19,500 £10,000 (Horsham) Refurbishment Project including the purchase of tools and equipment Horsham Tanbridge and Broadbridge Heath Lorica Trust East Clayton Farm Towards the development and operation of a Philip Circus, £19,620 £10,000 Community Volunteer Community Volunteer Team including tools and Storrington Hub equipment, PPE and marketing costs Rother Valley Rother Valley Minibus Towards the purchase of a new minibus, fully Gordon McAra, £10,000 £10,000 Together adapted and with a tail lift to provide wheelchair Midhurst access Sussex Clubs For Connecting To develop a programme of inter-generational Chris Oxlade, Bewbush £19,522 £14,500 Young People Communities - Working activities and social action including training, and Ifield West with Lions support and guidance to develop Lions Clubs members and youth club management committees. Home-Start Arun Child & Parent Support Towards activity resources, training and staffing Nigel Peters, Arundel £25,000 £20,000 (A&W) costs, recruitment, the training and supervision and Wick of volunteers to facilitate a weekly family group Peter Evans, East in the & Adur area. Preston and Ferring Jubilee Community Jubilee Community To install a hoist assisted toilet at the Jubilee Liz Bennett, East £20,000 £20,000 Centre (owned by Centre Hoist Assisted Community Centre Grinstead Meridian Jubilee Community Toilet Church)

3.6 The following applications have been unsuccessful in this round.

Applicant Project Description Bid Supporting Member(s) Amount Steyning Victory for Veg To build an animal barrier, undertake vegetation clearance £20,950 David Barling, Bramber Castle Allotment and tree work and a central secure store. Association Community Selsey Community Watch Towards the administrative and premises costs of Selsey £7,000 Bernard Smith, Selsey Forum Information Exchange office Steyning Tennis New Clubhouse New Clubhouse to replace the existing clubhouse and store £25,000 David Barling, Bramber Castle Club shed

Parochial Church Community Meeting Towards an extension to St Mary’s Church for a community £25,000 Margaret Evans, Chichester Council of St Room meeting room, accessible w/c, and kitchen facilities. South Marys Church Apuldrum Sompting Replacement Heating Towards the cost of a replacement heating system for £23,553 Lionel Parsons, Sompting and Parochial Church System Sompting Parochial Church. North Lancing The Fernhurst Fernhurst Centre Refurbishment of the Fernhurst Centre to create a coffee £15,000 Michael Brown, Fernhurst Centre Limited Refurbishment and shop style environment Modernisation Parochial Church The St James Centre Towards the building costs of the new St James community £25,000 Pieter Montyn, The Witterings of Birdham and Birdham Centre. Itchenor Age UK Horsham Expanding Our Reach - A new Village Agent for Horsham West, a ‘Full of Life’ event £24,361 Liz Kitchen, Warnham and District Age UK Horsham District for older people in the area west of Horsham and additional Rusper infrastructure support for specialist services. Sheddingdean The Cornerstone Project Towards the construction of the Bedelands Nature Reserve £25,000 Andrew Barrett-Miles, Burgess Baptist Church visitors Hill Town Bognor Pier Trust Pier Repair Towards the market appraisal and business plan for the £25,000 Ashvin Patel, Bognor Regis CIC & Restoration redesigned pier as part of the project viability work. West and Aldwick Graham Jones, Felpham Joan Phillips, Middleton Francis Oppler, Bognor Regis East Action for Action for Deafness Towards the purchase of a minibus to serve the Worthing area. £25,000 Michael Cloake, Deafness Making Theatre Making Theatre Gaining Towards the purchase a temporary building and support the £20,000 Ann Rapnik, Bersted Gaining Skills Skills (MTGS) establishment of a Learning Centre C.I.C Applicant Project Description Bid Supporting Member(s) Amount Steyning Steyning Downland To build a wildlife centre at the entrance to Steyning £25,000 David Barling, Bramber Castle Downland Scheme Scheme - Wildlife Downland Scheme Nature Reserve. Gateway Building Worthing WOW Worthing WOW 2017 Towards the costs of delivering the Worthing WOW: 2017 £23,040 Michael Cloake, Worthing Pier Festival Festival Snak Shak Snak Shak Fundraiser To employing a part time fundraiser and administrator £4,500 Bernard Smith, Selsey and Administrator Superstar Arts Superstar Arts Online To launch, promote and manage an Etsy on-line shop £16,186 Michael Cloake, Worthing Pier CLC Shop Robert Smytherman, Tarring Yet2Learn CIC Youth Enterprise Training to install an additional doorway into the IT suite, update the £9,500 Sandra James, Bourne - Westbourne/Bersted IT suite and offset the rent on facilities Green Hurstpierpoint Hurstpierpoint Bowling Towards the extension of the clubhouse and new and £11,175 Peter Griffiths, Hurstpierpoint Bowling Club Club House Extension & refurbished changing and catering facilities. and Bolney Improvement Arundel & Arundel Active Towards a package of activities and events including the £18,892 Nigel Peters, Arundel and Wick Downland Community purchase of equipment and materials, advertising and Community promotional materials, rental and staff costs. Leisure Trust Heene Community Community Transport 15 Towards the purchase of a wheelchair accessible 15 seater £25,000 Michael Cloake, Worthing Pier Association Seater Wheelchair minibus Accessible Minibus Project Age UK East Village Agent - Outreach To establish, develop and run a Village Agent Project. £19,480 No statement received Grinstead & Project Including staff and management costs, Volunteer training District and costs, Marketing and event costs. 4Sight 4Sight Sussex North To recruit a Peripatetic Outreach Worker to deliver the £24,954 No statement received 4SIGHT Sussex North outreach service in the north of the county including staff recruitment, training and management costs, publicity and equipment costs

4. Other Options Considered

4.1 Consideration was given to awarding smaller amounts to a larger number of applications, however following the 2016 funding review and conversations with potential applicants during the pre-application support sessions, it was recognised that this would reduce the effectiveness of the Fund and the ability of organisations to deliver their intended outcomes.

5. Resource Implications and Value for Money

5.1 Each proposal has been considered in terms of value for money and sustainability.

5.2 Officers will work with the award recipients to ensure that funds deliver good value and that organisations are connected into relevant County Council services, the wider community and their local Member.

6. Impact of the Proposal

6.1 Equality Duty - The Members’ Big Society Fund was established to provide funding for positive and sustainable Big Society proposals, each of which has been supported by the Local Member. No Equality Impact Assessment is necessary as the receiver of the funds will be responsible for any assessment of the impact on individuals and the need to avoid discrimination.

6.2 Crime and Disorder Act Implications - There are no known Crime and Disorder Act Implications.

6.3 Human Rights - There are no known Human Rights implications.

6.4 Social Value – Consideration of the Social Value implications of each project is integral to the ethos of the fund and reflected in all recommendations made.

7. Risk Management Implications

7.1 Risk implications have been considered for each proposal and the receiver of the funds will be responsible for any assessment of risk.

Peter Lewis Emily King Executive Director Manager Community Safety and Corporate Resources and Wellbeing Services (interim)

Contact: Emily King 03302 223876

Background Papers – None