This report by the Constituency Manager provides the Committee with an update on the proposed Priorities for Wirral South, its confirmed allocated budget and any spend so far in 2014/15.

A report by the Constituency Manager detailed the proposed priorities for the Wirral South Constituency Committee for 2014/15 and beyond. This report also detailed the confirmed budget for 2014/15 and progress on spend so far.

At its meeting on 25 February 2014, the Council had agreed to allocate £50,000 to each of the four Constituency Committees. This had been done to “enable the new approach to Neighbourhood Working to be further developed.”

On 13 March 2014 the Cabinet had approved recommendations set out in a report that covered the greater Local Transport Capital Funding and the Integrated Transport Block (ITB) programme for 2014/15. The report had proposed an allocation of £77,750 for each Constituency Committee. Recommendation 13.1 had requested that discussion take place and a decision made by the Constituency Committee on how this fund would be allocated.  Appendix 1 to the report provided examples of the various ways this money could be spent and approximate costs of any such schemes.

It was reported that £50,000 in total had been allocated to this Committee from the Wirral Health and Wellbeing Fund.  An update on this was provided in a report elsewhere on the agenda.  (Minute No. 32 refers.)

The Committee at its second meeting held on 18 December 2013, had approved a funding allocation of £10,000 to each of the five wards (Minute No. 12 refers). The agreed £10,000 per ward had to be spent on a number of improvement ideas developed by Elected Members. Members noted that as of 31 March 2014 £38,720.50remained to be spent of this £50,000. This amount had been carried over into the 2014/15 financial year and those Elected Members with a balance were currently working with the Constituency Manager to deliver various projects utilising this funding.

The Constituency Manager informed that ‘Your Wirral’ funding had been devolved to the Constituencies Committees for 2014/15.  This was a small grants programme that had been in operation since 2007.  It was a strand of the Community Fund that came into being as a result of the Value Added Tax (VAT) return generated by the housing stock transfer from Wirral Council to Wirral Partnership Homes, now Magenta Living.  From November 2007 to October 2012 a total of £1,835,585.85 had been spent supporting 783 groups, projects and activities across Wirral.  Members noted that the fund had lain dormant during the last financial year. 

The Committee was informed that grants were available to voluntary and community sector (not for profit) groups across Wirral.  The Fund rested with Magenta Living.  A Joint Working Group acted as an accountable body for the Fund and was composed of Elected Members and Magenta Living Board members.  Previous applications had been evaluated by representatives from Magenta Living and Wirral Council and then payments had been either signed off to successful groups or withdrawn by the Joint Working Group. 

A total of £250,000 was available for 2014/15.  The amount allocated had been determined by the number of Magenta Living housing units within each Constituency.  £50,000 was available for projects or activities that were delivered in two or more constituencies or across Wirral.

The Committee noted that to be eligible for funding, applications had to be compatible with one or more of the seven themes agreed by the Joint Working Group in line with the charitable objectives of the Community Fund Deed as follows:

·  Creating an attractive and safe environment

·  Contributing to community economic regeneration

·  Preventing crime or reducing the fear of crime

·  Providing employment and training for local people

·  Benefiting local people who face discrimination

·  Improving community facilities

·  Engaging communities to improve quality of life

Members noted the conditions that had to be adhered to, so as to ensure that the conditions of the Community Fund deed were not compromised. They also noted the proposed process set out in detail in the report, a breakdown of the Committee’s confirmed budget for 2014/15 and the Committee’s priorities.

It was proposed that each of the three priorities below should be allocated £15,000 each, thus leaving £5,000 of core budget to support various engagement initiatives:

·  Improved Open Spaces; to increase the number of green flag parks in Wirral South year on year.

·  Gaps in Youth Provision; to work with the internal and external partners to indentify and rectify any existing gaps in provision of youth services in Wirral South.

·  Tackle Social Isolation; Identify the various groups affected by social isolation in Wirral South, establish the evident gaps in provision throughout the Constituency and aim to either support existing providers or commission a new piece of work.

RESOLVED: That

(1)  one Elected Member per ward be nominated to sit on a Task and Finish Group to discuss directly with colleagues from Road Safety the various options for spending the Local Transport Capital Funding and the Integrated Transport Block (ITB) programme budget of £77,750;

  (Names to be supplied by Ward Members in due course.) 

  (This Task and Finish Group will report its proposals to the next Committee meeting scheduled for 8 October 2014 with a view to commencing work shortly thereafter.)

(2)  Members will continue to work with the Constituency Manager to spend the remaining core budget for 2013/14 as expediently as possible; and

(3)  the establishment of the ‘Your Wirral’ fund and its associated processes be noted.