Agenda and minutes

There were no Apologies for Absence.

In relation to Minute 5:

Councillor Sue Ellington declared a non-pecuniary interest as a trustee of Swavesey Mobile Warden Scheme.

Councillor Jose Hales declared a non-pecuniary interest in Melbourn Mobile Warden Scheme because his wife is the Scheme’s Manager and he himself is a trustee.

To authorise the Chairman to sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 27 July 2018 as a correct record.

The Committee authorised the Chairman to sign, as a correct record, the Minutes of the meeting held on 27 July 2018.

The Grants Advisory Committee considered a report on proposed changes to the Community Energy Grant scheme suggested by those in attendance at a recent workshop for members of the Grants Advisory Committee and Climate & Environment Advisory Committee.

Paragraph 15 of the report highlighted the main changes, and Councillor Peter McDonald sought and received clarification that applicants were required to submit up-to-date business cases alongside their applications.

The Grants Advisory Committee recommended that Cabinet consider the following proposed changes to the Community Energy Grants Scheme:

·        To make it a requirement that a short business case be submitted alongside the application form

·        To include additional examples in the list of what can be funded, namely pipe insulation, energy surveys, and replacement heating systems

·        In connection with applications involving community buildings, to encourage applicants to undertake an energy survey (using a checklist) or to have such a survey undertaken professionally prior to application

·        To provide additional guidance on how to quantify environmental benefits

The Grants Advisory Committee considered a report proposing amendments to the criteria and guidance notes for Mobile and Community Warden Scheme Grants.

Those present discussed the report in general.

Councillor John Williams, Lead Cabinet Member for Finance, expressed reservations about the recommendations being made by the Committee. His main concerns related to the amounts of money received by individual schemes, Value for Money, audit, and total budget. Councillor Williams called for more communities to be encouraged to establish Mobile Warden Schemes to deliver greater coverage across South Cambridgeshire.

Councillor Peter McDonald described the Mobile Warden Scheme as a form of social care, demonstrating substantial Value for Money.

Councillor Claire Daunton asked officers to try to identify where in the District Age UK operated, and whether there was any overlap with the Schemes currently funded by the Council.

Discussion ensued on the benefits of dedicated wardens enabling users to see the same wardens each time. Also discussed was the idea of the service being provided instead by not-for-profit organisations with access to other sources of funding.

The Grants Advisory Committee recommended to Cabinet the changes to the Mobile and Community Warden Scheme Grant criteria and guidance notes, as set out in Appendix A to the report from the Head of Sustainable Communities and Wellbeing.

The next Grants Advisory Committee meeting was provisionally arranged for Thursday 13 December 2018, starting at 10.00am.