Funding ring fencing ends

A report for Telford and Wrekin’s cabinet says ring-fencing £1,000 of each members’ fund “can be restrictive in some communities where there is a greater need for other projects”. It will be lifted in this year’s April-to-December application period.

The document, by Community Funding Officer Fran Bache, says the Councillors’ Pride Fund “provides £2,000 per year to each ward member to allocate to projects that will make a difference in their local area”. It, and predecessor schemes, have distributed £810,000 since 2011.

“This year has been the most successful to date, with more than 200 projects delivered and 100 per cent of funding allocated,” she writes.

“In addition to the £108,000 made available by Telford and Wrekin Council each year, some members double the impact of their allocation by seeking match-funding from their town or parish council.

“Applicants also seek match funding from a variety of other sources and, in 2019 alone, 48 applications were matched by a total of £121,656, meaning the fund supports and contributes to a significant delivery of local projects whilst enabling applicants to make the most of all available resources.”

Launched in 2011, the “Your Money Your Projects” scheme provided £1,000 for all 54 councillors to use. It was superseded by the Ward Co-operative Fund the following year, doubled to £2,000 in 2014 and renamed the Councillors’ Pride Fund in 2015.

Ms Bache’s report includes the case studies of the Snedshill and District Over-60s Club, who received £75 from the fund, which was match-funded to £150, and the Friends of Dawley Hamlets Nature Reserve, who were given nearly £3,300 from all three ward members which was doubled by the parish council.

“As interest across the globe has turned to promoting the importance of projects that reduce our carbon footprint and reduce plastic waste, so too have our local communities,” Ms Bache adds.

“The requirement to spend £1,000 on environmental projects that support the Pride in our Community programme is no longer reflective of the needs of communities today and, in some communities, can be restrictive where there is greater need for other projects.

“Therefore, the £2,000 allocation to each ward member is now unrestricted.

“Members will still be encouraged to give due consideration to environmental projects in their ward, including the wider theme of a carbon-neutral borough, and we will actively promote to members ideas for how communities can have an impact on reducing their carbon footprint and the use of single-use plastic.”

The cabinet will receive the report when it meets on Thursday, March 19.

Last July, Telford and Wrekin councillors voted to declare a climate emergency and committed to making the authority carbon-neutral by 2030 and free of single-use plastic by 2023.