Town fund from unspent councillors’ allowances
A FUND to help community action and support groups is being set up using money saved from unspent town councillors’ allowances.
The allowances were set aside at the beginning of the financial year to pay for any town councillors’ expenses incurred while doing their duties, but most members have opted not to claim any of the money, leaving about £6,000 likely to be unspent by the end of the year in March.
It was agreed in principle that the money would be put into a fund and administered by the locally based Lincolnshire Community Foundation.
Town clerk Shelagh McIntyre told members of the General Purposes Committee that the Foundation would partly match fund it up to £9,000.
Councillors agreed to top that figure up with any money left over from their budget set aside for donations to groups and charities and then add £1,000 from the coming year’s budget, leaving £500 aside to give to anyone needing a quick decision on a hand out such as the Youth Club’s Christmas party.
It is proposed that the Sleaford Town Councillors’ Fund (the “Town Fund”) be spent on volunteer-led, grassroots projects that are of interest to the public and of benefit to the Town, inviting applications from existing and start-up groups that encourage citizen involvement and that are volunteer-led. They would ask applicants to demonstrate contributions in kind (volunteer time) to balance against cash grants.
Applications would go to the Foundation and decided by a panel of two councillors (Becky Dunbar-Beckford and Brian Watson), the town clerk and a Foundation representative that will sit twice a year.
Awards would be from £250 to £1,500 and details will now be negotiated before the end of the financial year.
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Weather for Sleaford
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
