To receive any apologies for absence

Apologies for Absence were received from Councillor Sharpe.

To receive any Declarations of Interest.

Councillor D. Wilson declared a personal interest as a Governor at Desborough College. He took part in the discussion and debate.

To confirm the Part I Minutes of the previous meeting.

Approval of the minutes was deferred to the next meeting on 10 March 2017.

To note the details of the Grants Eligibility Criteria.

Members noted the eligibility criteria to be taken into account when considering applications.

It was noted that at Full Council on 21 February 2017, Members had agreed amendments to the Terms of Reference of the Panel to put in place revised arrangements as discussed at the last meeting. The changes would come into effect when the revised Constitution was published by 1 March 2017.

Members requested that the agenda for the next meeting on 10 March include a copy of the revised criteria.

The Chairman agreed that, subject to a check by officers that the Panel had sufficient delegated powers and did not need to submit recommendations to Cabinet following the meeting on 10 March 2017, that the item be removed from the Cabinet Forward Plan for March 2017. A report for information on the Panel’s decisions, would be presented to Cabinet later in the year.

To consider the schedule of Grants applicaitons

The Panel considered the award of revenue grants to local organisations for the last quarter of 2016/17 and agreed that they be recorded in Part I.

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That:

i)             the grants as detailed below be approved:

Revenue Grants

*Application to be deferred to next meeting on 10 March 2017

** The school be encouraged by the lead officer to invite attendees from other schools to maximise the audience figures. The applicant to be advised by the lead officer that the Panel expected future productions to be financed within school resources

*** The organisation to be advised by the lead officer that the Panel expected future events to be funded within its own resources

****The Chairman did not vote on this application

*****The organisation to be advised, by the lead officer, that the additional £500 requested should be recouped by charging a nominal sum for invited guests

To consider the schedule of Grant applications.

The Panel considered the award of capital grants to local organisations for the last quarter of 2016/17 and agreed that they be recorded in Part I.

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That:

i)             the grants as detailed below be approved:

Capital Grants

**Application to be deferred to next meeting on 10 March 2017; lead officer to seek further information on alternative funding sources

*** Application to be deferred to next meeting on 10 March 2017 ; lead officer to seek further information on the wider context of the re-location and likely costs

The Chairman agreed this item to be added to the agenda as an urgent item as Members have requested that the application is considered urgently as the successful  implementation of the progress is time critical and subject to concluding discussions to secure property and submission of an application for Business rates relief.

The Panel considered an application for Social Enterprise Grant Funding.

RESOLVED : That:

i)             The application for £25,000 of Social Enterprise Grant Funding from Wimbletech CIC be approved, subject to payment of funding being made only once physical evidence of expenditure or commitment to expenditure has been evidenced and a Service Level Agreement being in place with the appropriate level of monitoring to ensure funds are used as agreed and recovered if not.

ii)            The decision be minuted in Part I

(Four councillors voted in favour of the motion – Councillors Bateson, Bullock, Saunders and D. Wilson. Councillor Bowden voted against the motion)