Agenda and minutes

The Panel received a report of the Director of Community and Cultural Services, which presented applications for funding that had been made to the Edward Harvist Trust Fund for monies available as at 31 December 2007.  Members were requested to recommend to the Portfolio Holder for Community and Cultural Services their recommendations for Edward Harvist Trust grant funding.

An officer confirmed that a balance of £16,395 was available for the Panel to recommend to the Portfolio Holder for distribution.  Nine organisations had submitted applications for funding by the published deadline.

Resolved to RECOMMEND: (to the Portfolio Holder for Community and Cultural Services)

That (1) £500 be allocated to Friends of Canons Park;

(2)  £885 be allocated to Harrow Anti-Racist Alliance;

(3)  £1,790 be allocated to Harrow Bengalee Association;

(4)  £1,422 be allocated to Harrow Kuwaiti Community Association;

(5)  £2,000 be allocated to Harrow Talking Newspaper pending that the organisation provided two quotations for costs.  The organisation to be made aware of the limit on expenditure and to be directed to other sources of funding;

(6)  £1,936 be allocated to the Somali Cultural and Educational Association;

(7)  £2,000 be allocated to Weald Village Community Association pending confirmation from officers that the organisation had provided two quotations for its costs;

(8)  the applications for Angolan Civic Communities Alliance (ACCA) and Harrow Gingerbread be deferred until the next meeting of the Panel.  Both organisations to provide two quotations for costs prior to the meeting.

[Reason for Recommendation:  To enable the distribution of Edward Harvist Trust monies held by Harrow to local voluntary organisations.  The funding would enable local organisations to deliver services to their members and users, thereby improving the quality of life for people in Harrow].

(See also Minute 107)

The Panel received a report, which provided Members with an update on the situation with regards to Community Lettings.

Amendments to the officer recommendations were moved and carried.

Resolved to RECOMMEND: (to the Portfolio Holder for Community and Cultural Services)

That (1) any changes regarding community lettings were subject to the Overview and Scrutiny review of Council support to the voluntary sector;

(2)  the subsidy for Community Lettings be set at 50% effective from 1 September 2008, to apply to all groups;

(3)  the current grant qualifying conditions be applied to all organisations wishing to make use of community lettings and the exception for religious activities be removed.

[Reason for Recommendation:  (1) To allow groups to get used to 50% subsidy and allow the scrutiny process to be completed before changes were made to administration of community lettings;

(2)  to give consistency of access to subsidy by applying the subsidy to all groups and applying the current grant qualifying conditions].

(See also Minute 108)

An officer presented a report, which set out the procedure for dealing with street collections in the Borough.  Two applications received for 2008 were also presented.

Resolved to RECOMMEND: (to the Portfolio Holder for Community and Cultural Services)

That the applications for street collection from Harrow MS Therapy Centre and Mencap Hillingdon North be sponsored to the Metropolitan Police on their chosen collection dates.

[Reason for Recommendation:  To enable each organisation to make a formal application to the Metropolitan Police in order to obtain a permit to collect on a specified date.  These organisations would then be able to raise funds, which would allow them to continue to deliver services and improve the quality of life of their members and users].

(See also Minute 109)

To note the attendance at this meeting of any duly appointed Reserve Members.

Reserve Members may attend meetings:-

(i)                 to take the place of an ordinary Member for whom they are a reserve;

(ii)               where the ordinary Member will be absent for the whole of the meeting; and

(iii)             the meeting notes at the start of the meeting at the item ‘Reserves’ that the Reserve Member is or will be attending as a reserve;

(iv)              if a Reserve Member whose intention to attend has been noted arrives after the commencement of the meeting, then that Reserve Member can only act as a Member from the start of the next item of business on the agenda after his/her arrival.

RESOLVED:  To note the attendance at this meeting of the following duly appointed Reserve Member:-

To receive declarations of personal or prejudicial interests, arising from business to be transacted at this meeting, from:

(a)               all Members of the Committee, Sub Committee, Panel or Forum;

(b)               all other Members present in any part of the room or chamber.

RESOLVED:  To note that the following interest was declared:

To consider whether any of the items listed on the agenda should be considered with the press and public excluded on the grounds that it is thought likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that there would be disclosure of confidential information in breach of an obligation of confidence or of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

RESOLVED:  That (1) agenda item 12 – confidential appendix 5 to item 8 - be taken with agenda item 8 – Edward Harvist Trust Charity – Grant Applications, while appreciating the confidential information in agenda item 12;

(2)  all items be considered with the press and public present.

That (1) the minutes of the meetings held on the 11 June 2007 and 4 September 2007 be taken as read and signed as correct records;

(2) the minutes of the meeting held on the 5 March 2008 be deferred until printed in the Council Bound Minute Volume.

RESOLVED:  That (1) the minutes of the meetings held on the 11 June 2007 and the 4 September 2007 be taken as read and signed as correct records;

(2)  the minutes of the meeting held on the 5 March 2008 be deferred until printed in the Council Bound Minute Volume.

To receive questions (if any) from local residents or organisations under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 16 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

RESOLVED:  To note that no public questions were received at this meeting under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 16 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

To receive petitions (if any) submitted by members of the public/Councillors under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 14 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

RESOLVED:  To note that no petitions were received at this meeting under the provisions of the Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 14 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

To receive deputations (if any) under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 15 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

[Note:  The Panel’s policy (Minute 60:  28.07.03) in principle is not to receive deputations relating to individual grant applications].

[Note:  The Panel's policy (Minute 13: 06.07.06) is to receive deputations annually at its November meeting].

RESOLVED:  To note that no deputations were received at this meeting under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 15 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

Report of the Director of Community and Cultural Services.

Further to Recommendation 1, the Chairman asked the Panel to consider the criteria for allocating the Edward Harvist Trust Charity funds to voluntary organisations.  It stated that funds were to be used for one?off revenue or capital grants.  In response to questions by Members, an officer confirmed that for future reports to the Panel, the reference to the Edward Harvist Trust monies being used to ‘support small, unfunded organisations and new/emerging groups’ could be removed.  This was inconsistent with the criteria for allocating Edward Harvist Trust monies, as decreed by the Trust itself.

The Chairman noted that organisations applying for funding from the Edward Harvist Trust Fund should be more widely advertised.

RESOLVED:  That (1) the above be noted;

(2)  reference to the Trust monies being used to ‘support small, unfunded organisations and new/emerging groups’ be removed in future officer reports to the Panel.

Report of the Director of Community and Cultural Services.

Further to Recommendation 2, an officer explained that there was an exception for voluntary groups who used rooms in schools or other Council premises for religious activities.  These groups did not qualify for a concession for Community Lettings.

The Chairman expressed concerns with the implications of the cost of Community Lettings for religious groups.  It was noted that the exception for religious groups in the case of community lettings was contrary to the main grants criteria.

RESOLVED:  That the above be noted.

Report of the Director of Community and Cultural Services.

Further to Recommendation 3, the adviser to the Panel explained that a significant amount of voluntary organisations were discouraged from applying to hold street collections due to the bureaucracy involved.  Street collections therefore tended to take place on private land such as supermarkets.

RESOLVED:  That the above be noted.

Which cannot otherwise be dealt with.

Flash Musicals

A Member queried the status of funding for Flash Musicals, a voluntary organisation.

RESOLVED:  That officers deal with the Member’s query outside of the meeting.