Agenda, decisions and minutes

Received from Councillors Marian Spall and Richard Watts.

Councillor Diarmaid Ward Substituted for Councillor Richard Watts.

If you have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest* in an item of business:

         if it is not yet on the council’s register, you must declare both the existence and details of it at the start of the meeting or when it becomes apparent;

         you may choose to declare a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest that is already in the register in the interests of openness and transparency. 

In both the above cases, you must leave the room without participating in discussion of the item.

If you have a personal interest in an item of business and you intend to speak or vote on the item you must declare both the existence and details of it at the start of the meeting or when it becomes apparent but you may participate in the discussion and vote on the item.

*(a)      Employment, etc - Any employment, office, trade, profession or vocation carried on for profit or gain.

(b)        Sponsorship - Any payment or other financial benefit in respect of your expenses in carrying out duties as a member, or of your election; including from a trade union.

(c)        Contracts - Any current contract for goods, services or works, between you or your partner (or a body in which one of you has a beneficial interest) and the council.

(d)        Land - Any beneficial interest in land which is within the council’s area.

(e)        Licences- Any licence to occupy land in the council’s area for a month or longer.

(f)        Corporate tenancies - Any tenancy between the council and a body in which you or your partner have a beneficial interest.

 (g) Securities - Any beneficial interest in securities of a body which has a place of business or land in the council’s area, if the total nominal value of the securities exceeds £25,000 or one hundredth of the total issued share capital of that body or of any one class of its issued share capital. 

This applies to all members present at the meeting.

Councillor Theresa Debono declared an interest in agenda item B1 – Local Initiatives Fund awards – as a trustee of the Foodbank.

CONFIRMED as a correct record

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 16 June 2016 be confirmed as a correct record and the Chair be authorised to sign them.

A revised Appendix A was laid round.

AGREED 1.Recommendations in the report of the Executive Member for Community Development, including the funding proposals detailed in revised Appendix A.

2. That, subject to confirmation from Councillor Greening that he wishes to make a contribution of his LIF allocation to the Foodbank, that this be incorporated into their grant.

3. That, for the future, the Foodbank be reminded that deadlines for submissions of proposals for funding must be adhered to.

Reasons for decision – as specified in the report

Other options considered – none

Conflicts of interest/Any dispensations granted – none

A revised Appendix A was laid round.

RESOLVED

(a)  That the proposals for funding under the Local Initiatives Fund submitted by Ward councillors and detailed in revised Appendix A (attached to these minutes) of the report of the Executive Member for Community Development, be approved in principle, subject to the Assistant Chief Executive (Governance and Human Resources) being satisfied that the necessary checks have been made and any other issues resolved.

(b) That, subject to confirmation from Councillor Greening that he wished to make a contribution of his LIF allocation to the Foodbank, that this be incorporated into their grant.

(c) That, subject to the Assistant Chief Executive (Governance and Human Resources) being satisfied that all necessary checks have been made and issues resolved, the Assistant Chief Executive (Governance and Human Resources) be authorised to agree the allocation of up to £1,000 per Ward for proposals for summer events and activities received during the remainder of July and August 2016 and prior to the next meeting of the Committee.

(d) That it be noted that the Executive Memberfor CommunityDevelopment will be informed of all events approved under resolution (c) above.

(e) That, for the future, the Foodbank be reminded that deadlines for submissions of proposals for funding must be adhered to.

Reasons for decision

To assist in developing and sustaining a healthy voluntary and community sector in Islington.

Other options considered

None .

Conflicts of interest/Any dispensations granted

None

AGREED recommendation

Reasons for decision – as specified in the report

Other options considered – none

Conflicts of interest/Any dispensations granted – none

RESOLVED

That one free hire of Islington Assembly Hall be allocated to the following organisations for Spring 2017:

• Islington Children’s and Young People’s Voluntary Sector Forum
• Islington Council Choir
• Manor Gardens Welfare Trust
• Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants
• Little Angel Theatre

Reasons for decision

The scheme provided an opportunity for the Council to support local organisations through free use of the Assembly Hall

Other options considered

None

Conflicts of interest/Any dispensations granted

None

AGREED recommendations

Reasons for decision – as specified in the report

Other options considered – none

Conflicts of interest/Any dispensations granted – none

RESOLVED:

(a) That discretionary rate relief in the sums indicated below be awarded to the following organisations, up to 31 March 2020:

·         Light Eye - £316.82

·         The Park Theatre - £1140.62

·         Fourth Monkey Education Limited - £3544.11

(b) That the applications from the British Heart Foundation, the British Red Cross and Clay  Time Pottery be rejected on the basis that they do not meet the Council’s criteria for discretionary rate relief.

Reasons for decision – Awarding discretionary rate relief to charitable and non-profit making bodies was a cost effective way of supporting local organisations and helped to sustain a healthy voluntary sector.  A few of the organisations who had applied for discretionary rate relief were not eligible under the Council’s criteria.

Other options considered

None

Conflicts of interest/Any dispensations granted

None

AGREED recommendations

Reasons for decision – as specified in the report

Other options considered – none

Conflicts of interest/Any dispensations granted – none

The Chair had agreed that this item be considered as urgent business as the next meeting of the Committee would not be held until September 2016 and it was important that grants were paid to the organisations concerned as soon as possible in order that they could continue their activities to support residents.  In addition, the changes to the grant agreement with Cripplegate Foundation to transfer full responsibility for Islington Council’s Community Chest to Cripplegate Foundation would help to streamline the decision-making process and reduce delays in notifying organisations of the outcome of their applications.

RESOLVED:

(a) That Islington Community Chest first round grant awards for 2016/17 be approved to the organisations detailed in Appendix A of the report of the Executive Member for  Community Development.

(b) That Funding of £200,000 be awarded to Cripplegate Foundation to be dispensed in accordance with the approved Islington Council Community Chest criteria (taking into account recommendations from the Islington Council Community Chest Panel) and that the current grant agreement with Cripplegate Foundation be amended accordingly.

Reasons for decision

To nurture and sustain an innovative and resilient voluntary and community sector in Islington, by providing resources for smaller organisations that find it hard to access funding from other programmes. In addition, the changes to the grant agreement with Cripplegate Foundation to transfer full responsibility for Islington Council’s Community Chest to Cripplegate Foundation would help to streamline the decision-making process and reduce delays in notifying organisations of the outcome of their applications

Other options considered

None

Conflicts of interest/Any dispensations granted

None