New £500k fund to support community groups in Tendring part of budget plans
Half-a-million pounds is being offered by Tendring District Council (TDC) to support community organisations operating in the area.
The Tendring Community Fund was announced by TDC Leader Neil Stock OBE during his Budget speech to full council this week (Tuesday, 11 February).
The £500k funding pot will be paid for from the council’s New Homes Bonus for 2020/21, a grant paid by central government to local councils to reflect and incentivise housing growth in their areas.
Although details of the scheme are to be finalised, Cllr Stock said he envisaged it being similar to a previous initiative, the Big Society Fund, but modernised.
“This fund seeks to support community groups and organisations that in turn support the residents and local communities across our district,” Cllr Stock said.
“A key condition of awarding a grant would be to jointly fund a project which has other financial support.”
Like the Big Society Fund, grants would be awarded by a cross-party panel approving applications.
Elsewhere in the Budget was confirmation of £1.134m funding to support investment in council assets as part of the commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030, while a new Rural and Urban Investment Fund of £1.2m has been set up.
A £5 rise in council tax (on an average, Band D, home), as set out in the ten-year financial plan, was also confirmed.
Three amendments were put forward by opposition parties to spend the Revenue Support Grant from Government, which had not been expected this year – £100k of funding for a three-year Housing Early Intervention Officer to support families at risk of homelessness, £44k to fund additional public realm work and £249k to support additional enforcement work.
All were accepted by the Leader, and the Budget was approved unanimously by councillors at the meeting.
“Over the past few months we have committed funding to key projects, such as rejuvenating Clacton town centre, the Starlings site in Dovercourt and work to Clacton Leisure Centre,” Cllr Stock added.
“These projects, along with others in the pipeline, will see further significant investment in our district. Along with those that will be emerging over the remaining three years of this term, we should not only see our own money being ploughed back into the district but, by also working hard at our partnerships and constantly and with relentless positivity making the case for Tendring, we will be attracting external funding into our area”.
“You may not always see a return on every pound that is spent in the very short term, but small steps made tenaciously over a number of years do make a difference.”
Separately the Housing Revenue Account budget was also passed, which includes a 2.7% rise in council rents – bringing the average weekly rent to £82.42 – to allow continued investment in council-owned homes, following the ending of a previous government requirement to reduce rents by 1% each year.
NEWSDESKS
For more information on this news release contact Tendring District Council’s Communications Manager Will Lodge on 01255 686338.
More information on the Rural and Urban Investment Fund can be found in a separate news release, contact the Communications Manager for a copy of this.