Issue - meetings

To receive an update on the Councillor Pride Fund allocations for 2023/24.

The Cabinet Member: Inclusion, Engagement, Equalities & Civic Pride presented the report on Councillors Pride Fund 2022-23: Helping to Protect, Care and Invest to Create a Better Borough which provided details in relation to allocation of the Councillors’ Pride Fund during the financial year 2023/24.

In 2023, Members were allocated a total of £270,000 to invest in projects and activities which would seek improvement at a local level. The fund enabled Members to deliver the Council’s five priorities in their ward with a small amount of money making a big difference on a local level, particularly to small community groups that found it difficult to access alternative grant funding. The final deadline for submitting applications in the current financial year was 1 February 2025. 

During the reporting period, a total of 335 proposals had been received and awarded with the largest proportion of applications supporting activities for children and young people ranging from uniformed groups, youth clubs, sporting activities, playgroups and school trips. Funding had also supported a number of community and voluntary groups for older residents, services to support residents who continue to be affected by the cost of living crisis as well as the Armed Forces community. Members had been encouraged to seek match funding for their grants which had secured an additional 60p of funding for every £1 allocated. 

The report highlighted how Members had used the funding available to support the Council’s priorities and provided various examples of projects and initiatives which had reaped the benefits.

Cabinet Members welcomed the report and highlighted the positive impact it had made in local communities and gave examples of some of the initiatives they had supported in their own ward areas.

The Leader of the Conservative Group advocated for the scheme which was administered efficiently by Officers. He acknowledged the growth of the ward fund over the past nine years, highlighting the flexible criteria which had allowed Members to focus on delivering priorities for their residents and make a significant impact to their communities.

RESOLVED – that:

a)    the continued impact of the Councillors’ Pride Fund in supporting Councillors to deliver the Council’s five priorities in their ward to protect, care and invest in order to create a better borough be noted;

b)   the importance of this funding in offering a bespoke response to need in individual communities and in supporting community organisations to thrive and offer valued services to residents be noted;

c)    the additional funding that applications to this scheme have secured through match funding of projects to the value of £163,064 be noted; and

d)   the final deadline for applications in the year 2024-25 is 1 February 2025 be noted.