Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Democratic Services Manager.

The report requests the Area Committee to give consideration to proposals for alternative arrangements for the funding of those ward flexibility fund applications for boroughwide events.

The Area Committee is recommended to comment on the proposed arrangements.

Officer contact: Craig Ainsworth on 0161 474 3204 or email: craig.ainsworth@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Democratic Services Manager submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) detailing proposals for alternative arrangements for the funding of those ward flexibility fund application for boroughwide events.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         The current arrangements for the allocation of funding worked well and the Area Committee remained open to the consideration of properly prepared and targeted boroughwide applications.

·         The accumulation of underspends in certain localities suggested a degree of prudency in the oversight and spending of public money and not that the fund was being managed inefficiently.

·         Concern was expressed in relation to the definition of boroughwide applications and whether this would remove local democratic oversight from the purview of area committees.

·         It was acknowledged that there may be a case for the Central Stockport Area Committee to receive additional funding to allow it to manage the higher than average number of applications from within its area.

RESOLVED – That the Executive Councillor (Reform & Governance) be informed that it was the view of this Area Committee that it did not support the creation of a boroughwide fund and that consideration should instead be given to the allocation of additional funding to the Central Stockport Area Committee.

To consider a report of the Democratic Services Manager.

The report requests the Area Committee to give consideration to proposals for alternative arrangements for the funding of those ward flexibility fund applications for boroughwide events.

The Area Committee is recommended to comment on the proposed arrangements.

Officer contact: Craig Ainsworth on 0161 474 3204 or email: craig.ainsworth@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Democratic Services Manager submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) inviting the Area Committee to consider options for considering application for Ward Flexibility Funding that had borough-wide implications.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

• Members expressed concern about the extent of the underspends from some of the Wards in the borough and that this should be included in a central ‘pot’ to help fund the many events in the town centre.
• The funding should be allocation on the basis of need

RESOLVED – (1) That the Area Committee supports Option (c ) in the first instance for the.funding of boroughwide applications from the underspends held by wards as at 31 March 2017, supplemented, if necessary, by taking 10% from the current amount allocated to each ward (£300).

(2) That the Area Committee recommends s that no Ward should be permitted to carry forward more than £3,000 per year.

To consider a report of the Democratic Services Manager.

The report requests the Area Committee to give consideration to proposals for alternative arrangements for the funding of those ward flexibility fund applications for boroughwide events.

The Area Committee is recommended to comment on the proposed arrangements.

Officer contact: Craig Ainsworth on 0161 474 3204 or email: craig.ainsworth@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Democratic Services Manager submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) requesting the Area Committee to consider a number of options for dealing with applications for Ward Flexibility Funding which relate to borough wide events.

Councillors discussed the options detailed in the report and supported the principle of having a fund for dealing with borough wide applications. However, there was no consensus in respect to how to create the fund with a number of Councillors supporting top slicing 10% off the Area Flexibility Fund for each ward and other Councillors proposing that the budget be taken from the Council’s reserves. The Committee agreed that the decisions should be made by a cross party committee of Councillors rather that the Executive Councillor (Reform and Governance).

RESOLVED – That the report be noted and the views of the Area Committee be shared with the Executive Councillor (Reform and Governance).

To consider a report of the Democratic Services Manager.

The report requests the Area Committee to give consideration to proposals for alternative arrangements for the funding of those ward flexibility fund applications for boroughwide events.

The Area Committee is recommended to comment on the proposed arrangements.

Officer contact: Craig Ainsworth on 0161 474 3204 or email: craig.ainsworth@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Democratic Services Manager submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) inviting the Area Committee to consider options for considering application for Ward Flexibility Funding that had borough-wide implications.

The following comments were made:-

·         What were the criteria for deciding what constituted ‘borough-wide’ and who would decide this?

·         If an application had borough-wide implications then the chairs of area committees should also be involved in deciding applications, not simply an executive councillor.

·         Concerns were expressed that there was variability in approach to dealing with funding applications and it was suggested that other area committees should consider adopting a similar model to that of this Area Committee and pool the ward funds.

·         Concerns were expressed that due to the variability in how councillors approached the use of their ward funds Stepping Hill Area Committee was being unfairly burdened in funding borough-wide applications.

·         By creating a separate fund and a separate process local councillors may in future not be funding and supporting activity in their community.

RESOLVED – (1) That the report be noted.

(2) That the view of this Area Committee was that the current approach to the determination applications for funding submitted to this Area Committee was adequate, but that should a borough-wide process be developed that it should be funded as per option (a) in the report (a 10% ‘top-slice’ from each ward’s yearly allocation) and that decisions on those applications be taken by area committee chairs collectively.

To consider a report of the Democratic Services Manager.

The report requests the Area Committee to give consideration to proposals for alternative arrangements for the funding of those ward flexibility fund applications for boroughwide events.

The Area Committee is recommended to comment on the proposed arrangements.

Officer contact: Craig Ainsworth on 0161 474 3204 or email: craig.ainsworth@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Democratic Services Manager submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) inviting the Area Committee to consider options for considering application for Ward Flexibility Funding that had borough-wide implications.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

• Whilst not ruling out the possibility of some of the underspends being reallocated in the future, it was:-

RESOLVED – That the Area Committee supports the option of taking 10% from the current amount allocated to each Ward (£300) in order to fund boroughwide applications (option (a) in the report).

To consider a report of the Democratic Services Manager.

The report requests the Area Committee to give consideration to proposals for alternative arrangements for the funding of those ward flexibility fund applications for boroughwide events.

The Area Committee is recommended to comment on the proposed arrangements.

Officer contact: Craig Ainsworth on 0161 474 3204 or email: craig.ainsworth@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Democratic Services Manager submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) requesting the Area Committee to consider options for dealing with requests for funding of borough wide events.

Members were supportive of the creation of a fund to deal with requests for funding of borough wide events and the proposal that they be determined by the Executive Councillor (Reform and Governance). There was no clear consensus on how the fund should be created but the majority were in favour of it being from the underspends held by wards as at 31 March 2017.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted and the comments of the Area Committee be referred to the Democratic Services Manager for consideration.

To consider a report of the Democratic Services Manager.

The report requests the Area Committee to give consideration to proposals for alternative arrangements for the funding of those ward flexibility fund applications for boroughwide events.

The Area Committee is recommended to comment on the proposed arrangements.

Officer contact: Craig Ainsworth on 0161 474 3204 or email: craig.ainsworth@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Democratic Services Manager submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) detailing proposals for alternative arrangements for the funding of those ward flexibility fund application for boroughwide events.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         The creation of any boroughwide fund should not have a consequent impact on the ability of local area committees to continue to fund local projects.

·         It was suggested that an appropriate top-slice from the Area Committee’s 2017/18 ward flexibility budget allocation to fund any boroughwide fund would be 5% rather than the 10% proposed within the report.

·         The Democratic Services Manager should make arrangements for the appropriate advertisement of the ward flexibility fund to encourage local organisations to make applications.

·         Concern was expressed that the proposed governance arrangements for the boroughwide fund were democratically deficient in that decisions would be taken behind closed doors by a single member which compared unfavourably with the open, accountable and transparent way applications were currently considered by the Area Committee.

·         It was suggested that a cross-party panel may be a more suitable vehicle for the making of decisions on boroughwide applications.

·         Any new arrangements for a boroughwide fund should be subject to a one-year trial period and that a report should be circulated to all area committees providing an evaluation of the trial.

·         Members expressed their opposition to any proposal to clawback current underspends within the ward flexibility budget to fund the boroughwide grant scheme and suggested that this would not be a sustainable way of providing recurrent annual funding for the scheme.

RESOLVED – That the Executive Councillor (Reform & Governance) be recommended to give consideration to the comments of the Area Committee in formulating any policy on the creation of a fund to support boroughwide applications for ward flexibility funding.