Agenda item

(a)  That the expenditure to date from the Community Investment Fund 2020/21 to be noted;

(b)  That the following two schemes be approved:

  i.  Up to £20,000 from the available revenue funding to contribute to the Council’s work on tackling food poverty and on welfare provision.

  ii.  £20,000 from the available Cabinet capital allocation for the northern station forecourt scheme, if resources couldn’t be identified from any other sources or highways underspends.

The Cabinet considered a report that provided an update on spend from the Community Investment Fund (CIF) in 2020/21 and invited Cabinet to make any further decisions regarding the use of its allocation for the year.

The report stated that there was £46,000 of unallocated capital available from the Cabinet pot and the Leader proposed that £20,000 be allocated to the northern station forecourt scheme to be used, in principle, in the event that resources from other sources such as highways budget underspends could not be identified. 

Speaking under Rule 30, Councillor Hulme referred to the work of the Food Poverty Task & Finish Group which had a made a number of recommendations that could be taken forward if any CIF resources could be made available.  The Leader commented that Cabinet expected to receive an update in April 2021 on how those recommendations had been taken forward in the Our Futures service design.  The Cabinet agreed to allocate £20,000 of revenue to further support the implementation of the recommendations.

It was proposed and agreed that no further allocations be made and that any underspends from 2020/21 be foregone in view of the financial pressures on the Council.

A Lead Member and Councillor Strutton speaking under Rule 30 raised a number of specific issues to do with ward schemes which could be discussed outside of the Cabinet meeting.

Resolved –

(a)  That the expenditure to date from the Community Investment Fund 2020/21 to be noted;

(b)  That the following two schemes be approved:

  i.  Up to £20,000 from the available revenue funding to contribute to the Council’s work on tackling food poverty and on welfare provision.

  ii.  £20,000 from the available Cabinet capital allocation for the northern station forecourt scheme, if resources couldn’t be identified from any other sources or highways underspends.