Charities & Grants, 13 November 2023
Meeting: Charities & Grants – 13 November 2023
Committee: Charities & Grants
Date: Monday, 13 November 2023 at 7:30 PM
Previous Meeting
Following Meeting
Papers:
Agenda:
Venue
Rickards Hall
72a High Street
Edenbridge, TN8 5AR
Kent
Agenda
2 Declaration of Interests or Predetermination
The disclosure must include the nature of the interest. If an interest becomes apparent to a member during the course of a meeting that has not been disclosed under this item, the member must immediately disclose it.
3 Public Questions and Statements
Members of the public, and members with prejudicial interests on items on the Agenda, may make representations, answer, ask questions and give evidence at this meeting in respect of items on the Agenda. (This is the only opportunity for members of the public to make a contribution during the meeting.) Both public and members are limited to three minutes per person to speak and the total time designated for public questions shall not exceed fifteen minutes unless directed by the Chairman of the meeting.
4.1 To receive, adopt and sign the minutes of the meeting for Charity no. 302732 held on 28 November 2022 (9825)
Do Members confirm the minutes of the meeting 28 November 2022?
4.2 To approve the accounts for Charity account 302732; Public Recreation Ground – Blossoms Park
The Charity end-of-year accounts 2022/23 and the Annual Report were presented for approval. The accounts recorded ‘nil’ return as all expenditure is managed through Council's I&E accounts, therefore 'nil' return. All activity is reported through the Open Spaces Committee as managed by the Council (sole managing trustee) and registered land owner.
Are Members happy to confirm the charity annual return for charity no 302732 as 'nil'?
5.1 To receive, adopt and sign the minutes of the meeting for Charity no. 302733 held on 28 November 2022 (9826)
Do Members confirm the minutes of the meeting 28 November 2022?
5.2 To approve the accounts for Charity account 302733; Recreation Ground – Lingfield Road
The Charity end-of-year accounts 2022/23 and the Annual Report were presented for approval. The accounts recorded ‘nil’ return as all expenditure is managed through Council's I&E accounts, therefore 'nil' return. All activity is reported through the Open Spaces Committee as managed by the Council (sole managing trustee) and registered land owner.
Are Members happy to confirm the charity annual return for charity no 302733 as 'nil'?
6.1 To receive, adopt and sign the minutes of the meetings for Charity no. 307544 held on 28 November 2022 (9827) and 24 July 2023-013/01
Do Members confirm the minutes of the meetings 28 November 2022 and 24 July 2023?
6.2 To approve the accounts for Charity account 307544; The Norman Foundation, (as Trustees)
The Charity end-of-year accounts 2022/23 and the Annual Report were not available due to a bank statement not received. This is currently being re requested. Once the year-end statements are received, these will be presented to December or January Council, in time for the Charities Commission deadline (31/01/24). Last year's year-end was £50,596.16. There has been no expenditure, just interest to add to this; there are no other assets. No awards were made during that financial year.
An award was approved by the Trustees in July 2023, of £2,137.98 and this will be included in the report for 2023-24.
The Chairman of the Council, on behalf of the trustees, will sign the accounts as a true record of the Charity's financial position before submitting to the Charities Commissions.
Members are asked to note, and Council will confirm the accounting statements.
7 EDENBRIDGE TOWN COUNCIL GRANTS FUND
A link to the Council's grants policy is below. This year, Council has received 13 applications; there were some duplications hence why initially reported to Council more. Total amounted requested is £19,896. (Summary attached, confidential; full applications are available to view in the office or Sharepoint folder.) The budgeted Grant fund for 2023 is £8,000. There was also £1,290 which was not allocated last year and held in reserves. Total funds available £9,290.
A copy of previous awards made is available of the website, link below.
Members are asked to view the applications, and consider how it would like to award this year's available funds.
- ETC Grants Policy (opens in a new tab)
- Grants awarded between 2015-2022 (opens in a new tab)
- Annex 1 is confidential and is not included in the published papers.
Minutes
1 To Receive Apologies for Absence
In the absence of the Town Clerk, the meeting Chairman proposed that Kathy Staff should act as Clerk for the meeting, and members
Resolved: that Kathy Staff should act as Clerk for the meeting.
Apologies were received, noted, and accepted from Cllrs Compton, Martindale, McArthur, and McGregor.
3 Public Questions and Statements
19:31 The Chairman closed the meeting.
A member of the public spoke in support of the grant application from the newly-formed Eden Twinning group, outlining its plans for future activities involving community groups, and confirming the group was in the process of opening a bank account and had an agreed constitution. The Council was thanked for the opportunity to speak.
The Chairman re-opened the meeting.
The members of the public declined an invitation to remain, and left the meeting at this point.
4.1 To receive, adopt and sign the minutes of the meeting for Charity no. 302732 held on 28 November 2022 (9825)
Resolved: to receive, adopt and sign the minutes of the meeting 28 November 2022.
4.2 To approve the accounts for Charity account 302732; Public Recreation Ground – Blossoms Park
Members noted the accounts recorded ‘nil’ return as all expenditure was managed through Council's I&E accounts, therefore 'nil' return. All activity was reported through the Open Spaces Committee as managed by the Council (sole managing trustee) and registered land owner.
Resolved: to confirm the annual return for charity no 302732 as 'nil'.
5.1 To receive, adopt and sign the minutes of the meeting for Charity no. 302733 held on 28 November 2022 (9826)
Resolved: to receive, adopt and sign the minutes of the meeting 28 November 2022.
5.2 To approve the accounts for Charity account 302733; Recreation Ground – Lingfield Road
Members noted the accounts recorded ‘nil’ return as all expenditure was managed through Council's I&E accounts, therefore 'nil' return. All activity was reported through the Open Spaces Committee as managed by the Council (sole managing trustee) and registered land owner.
Resolved: to confirm the annual return for the charity as 'nil'.
6.1 To receive, adopt and sign the minutes of the meetings for Charity no. 307544 held on 28 November 2022 (9827) and 24 July 2023-013/01
Resolved: to confirm the minutes of the meetings 28 November 2022 and 24 July 2023.
6.2 To approve the accounts for Charity account 307544; The Norman Foundation, (as Trustees)
Members noted the end-of-year accounts 2022/23 and the Annual Report were not available due to a bank statement not received. This was currently being re requested. Once the year-end statements were received, these would be presented to December or January Council, in time for the Charities Commission deadline (31/01/24). Last year's year-end was £50,596.16; there had been no expenditure, just interest to add to this, and there were no other assets. No awards were made during that financial year. The Chairman of the Council, on behalf of the trustees, would sign the accounts as a true record of the Charity's financial position before submitting to the Charities Commission, and full Council would confirm the accounting statements.
An award was approved by the Trustees in July 2023, of £2,137.98 and this would be included in the report for current financial year 2023-24.
7 EDENBRIDGE TOWN COUNCIL GRANTS FUND
Cllrs Baker and Layland declared a non-pecuniary interest in Citizens Advice, being on the local branch Board. Cllr Layland also declared non-pecuniary interest in Edenbridge Voluntary Transport.
Members considered 13 applications, requests totalling £19,896 against available funding of £9,290. Each application was discussed in turn, with members able to make comments on which to support, and the potential benefits to the Edenbridge community. After some consideration and discussion, Members,
Resolved: to make awards of the total £9,290 funding available, allocated as follows:
1st Edenbridge Girl Guides £532.00
Edenbridge Amateur Dramatic Society £250.00
Hi Kent Hearing Aid Support Clinics £400.00
Marsh Green Pre-School £708.00
Edenbridge Rugby Football Club £2,500.00 (subject to receipt of a break-down of project costs, and to be confirmed at Finance Committee)
West Kent Mediation £900.00
Edenbridge Voluntary Transport £1,000.00
Bridges £500.00
Eden Christin Trust/ECT Youth Club £500.00
Edenbridge & Westerham Citizens Advice £2,000.00
Resolved: to invite Friends of Hever CofE Primary School, which had a very high percentage of Edenbridge children on its roll, to apply to the Norman Foundation for support (see item 6.2 above).
Resolved: not to support the Benefice of Penshurst, Fordcombe and the Chiddingtones.
Resolved: not to support Eden Twinning at this stage, but to request a copy of the group's constitution, and pending return of approx. £1,300 to the Town Council following closure of Edenbridge and District Twinning Association, to discuss again at the Finance Committee for recommendation to Council that any grant request might be considered using part of this return.
8 Press releases
Resolved: to publicise the outcome of the grants awards through social media and the Town Council's website.