Agenda item

• Agreeing priority areas of focus for the year ahead
• Task and finish groups
• Funding overview
• Community Board calendar

Marco Dias, Localism Manager Buckinghamshire Councils provided an update on future priorities and areas of focus for the Board.

• Based on 27 survey responses from March 2022, the key priorities were identified as the environment, health and wellbeing, highways, economic regeneration, opportunities for young people, older people and culture.
• Four action groups had been created with the aim of holistically and proactively setting up projects across Parish and Community Board boundaries. Task and finish groups would aim to deliver the projects or events.
• The funding for Community Boards was half of last year’s budget, due to the budget being amalgamated for two years due to covid19. The normal level of funding per year was £114,000 with maximum limit of £20,000 to be spent on highways projects.
• £5,000 was allocated to small grants and Community Board funding applications would seek to be agreed within a maximum of four weeks compared to four to six weeks previously.
• The funding criteria was similar to the previous year however the maximum allocation for a project would be £15,000. Contributory funding was mandatory for projects over £1,000. The funding application was on the Buckinghamshire Council website and any ideas could be discussed with the Community Board Manager.
• The funding applications would be considered in three funding windows and applications received by the end of June would be agreed in July. The budget would be allocated at three points during the financial year. The leads for current applications being considered would be contacted imminently by the Community Board Manager.
• The calendar of meetings for the year has been mapped out with some dates yet to be decided. The dates for Community Board meetings would be circulated in the newsletter and invites sent for MS Teams. Any persons wishing to join the meetings were asked to get in touch.

A Member queried that previous approved funding applications for Gerrards Cross which were to be carried forwarded into the new financial year were not showing on the list in the presentation. It was confirmed these should be included on the list and it would be amended.

A query was raised relating to matching the contributory funding from the Community Board by organisations and if this would need to be monetary or the equivalent support work. It was advised in the majority of cases the equivalent monetary value would be matched however there was flexibility. For instance, if the Board provided the funding for equipment the organisation could provide annual maintenance. The applications would be reviewed on a case by case basis.

There would be a new simpler form for applications for funding under £1,000, this would be live on the website by the end of the month.

There was a discussion relating to the allocation of funding for highways and how to get the best value of money from the budget. Seer Green Parish Council had received a quote of £9,000 for 100 yards of yellow lines. It was noted that this budget could deliver a number of highways projects and the costs quoted were quite high.

The Chairman advised action groups and task and finish groups would provide a hybrid approach to bring people together to discuss any initiative or community issues to develop projects. The Community Boards would be able to make decisions advised by the action groups but the Board would still have the final decision on funding.

There was concern from Members the funding for the Community Board was relatively small to enact large changes to the community. Furthermore, concern was raised around the large number of task and finish group meetings for the size of the fund and if these were value for money. The Chairman reiterated the Boards were not just there to provide funds for projects but also to identify community issues and influence new initiatives whilst bringing organisations together.

A Member from Seer Green Parish Council advised their annual precept was less than other local parishes. There was a need to upgrade CCTV in the area and yellow lines to deter parking on certain roads however, the Parish was awaiting feedback from Buckinghamshire Council. It was noted the quote for partial yellow lines on a road was £9,000 which was one fifth of the Parishes annual precept.

There was a request for the Officer from the Community Safety team responsible for CCTV to attend a Board meeting to advise the Parish Councils how to progress these projects.

There had been confusion regarding the application for funding process and if a representative from the Town and Parish Council needed to attend the meeting to put their application forward in person. It was confirmed once an application for funding had been submitted the Community Board Manager would be in contact to discuss the requirements however, it wasn’t a necessity for applicants to be present at meetings.

It was highlighted if Town and Parish Councils were seeking double yellow lines on roads they could contact Buckinghamshire Council to arrange a public consultation. Further information on the CCTV camera review was requested. The Community Board Manager confirmed they would look into the status of the CCTV review and endeavour to have the Community Safety Officer responsible attend the next Community Safety and Transport group meeting.

A Member highlighted they were able to have CCTV installed in the local area however there wasn’t the capacity for Town and Parishes to monitor the CCTV round the clock. 

In response to discussion about the Community Board budget and remit a Member highlighted it was important to be realistic about funding as tackling large scale community issues would cost millions. The Community Boards had been discussed by Members at the Standards and General Purpose Committee and Terms of Reference for Community Boards would be produced and any feedback from Members would be valued.

A Member highlighted the Economic Regeneration action group would meet next week, the first meeting of the financial year. There was a request for Board Members to put forward ideas for projects which could be discussed at the meeting. The Chairman advised the action group may have a name change to incorporate the word business to highlight this as a greater focus of the group. 

A Member highlighted the CCTV in their area was saved onto a hard drive and was not monitored live. The CCTV footage and ANPR cameras had proved useful in assisting police target crime.

It was suggested that the Board could identify problems and issues in the local areas first and then set up various action groups to address these community matters. It would be important to use the budget carefully and decide the remit and outcomes of action groups.