Views sought on £12k ‘purse’ for community projects
Conservative councillors in Gipsy Hill and Thurlow Park are consulting local residents and community groups about a new grants project from the Council whereby each ward has a £12,000 “Ward Purse” to allocate to deserving causes or projects.
There are rules regarding the allocation of this money. The main ones are:
- No more than three projects per ward;
- No award to be less than £1,000;
- Essentially, only schemes within Lambeth are permitted. We also have to avoid things that are already funded from other budgets;
- Only capital schemes qualify: i.e., no scheme with revenue implications is allowed. The best example there is CCTV (disallowed because of related running costs).
- Tight deadline – all paperwork needs to be completed and sent by us to the Council by mid February and the money spent by May.
Andrew Gibson, a Conservative councillor in Gipsy Hill ward, says: “A typical example might be a photocopier shared and maintained by community groups. Any expressions of interest or ideas would be most welcome.
“If we cannot accommodate a particular suggestion in 2009 it may be that it could be considered for a future year if the funding continues. Alternatively, we could lobby for its approval from a different source of funding.”
CLICK HERE to view a copy of the form that councillors have to submit to the council. This gives you an idea of the information needed from you if you make a bid.
