Plea for community grant allocation rethink rejected during Harborough District Council scrutiny meeting
A call to reconsider criteria for the distribution of a £1million community funding pot has been rejected.
A special scrutiny meeting was called to discuss a call-in, after five councillors raised concerns over the methodology of the allocation and how the figures were arrived at.
They also believed the method is inequitable to rural parish councils and meetings, and requested to treat Kibworth Harcourt and Kibworth Beauchamp as two separate parish councils.
But following the debate on Thursday, the panel voted to endorse the Cabinet’s original decision.
Harborough District Council leader Phil Knowles said: “There was some really good discussion and debate at Scrutiny, with some thoughts for consideration on the process for any future schemes.
“Councillors voted to endorse Cabinet’s decision on how the Community Grants Fund to parish and town councils will be administered. This now means that the council’s new community development team can start to get the £1million grant scheme underway to ensure that our local communities across the district benefit as soon as possible.”
Conservative councillor Phil King said he was shocked despite concerns he claims were made ‘repeatedly’ by Liberal Democrat and Green councillors.
He said: “I am very disappointed and shocked despite the Lib Dem and Green councillors on this panel making repeated concerns with how the allocations had been arrived at, the obvious inequity for 55 smaller parish meetings and councils in more rural areas, how both Kibworth parish councils were lumped together to receive half as much as smaller areas, and saying they wanted it looking at again, that when it came to the crunch-vote, the Lib Dem and Green councillors, overrode their own concerns.”
According to a council report, the towns of Lutterworth and Harborough are to be allocated £150,000 for distribution among applicants, while large villages, urban areas and medium villages would be allocated £70,000, £50,000 and £20,000 respectively. Meanwhile £10,000 had been proposed for smaller villages, while smaller parishes and hamlets could apply for a maximum of £5,000 of a £40,000 total.
To qualify for funding, projects need to meet at least one of its priorities including creating a sense of pride in place, promoting health and wellbeing, creating a sustainable environment or supporting businesses and residents to deliver a prosperous local economy.