Community Safety Fund 2009

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A decision made (02/07/2009) regarding: Community Safety Fund 2009 - Grants.

Decision Reference: MD-T-2009-0069
Decision Summary Title :	Community Safety Fund 2009		Date of Decision Summary:	30 June 2009
Decision Summary Author:	Head of DVS & Inspector of Motor Traffic		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt? (State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:	N/A
Written Report Title :	Community Safety Fund 2009		Date of Written Report:	24 June 2009
Written Report Author:	Head of DVS & Inspector of Motor Traffic		Written Report : Public or Exempt? (State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)	Public
Subject: Community Safety Fund 2009
Decision(s): The Minister decided:- To remind the public of the availability of grants from the Community Safety Fund; To invite applications from organisations for the award of grants, up to £20,000, for projects that meet the criteria previously approved; That he and a member of the Environment Scrutiny Panel would consider applications for grants and decide, on the basis of the criteria, which awards to make.
Reason(s) for Decision: To promote and help fund small but important community safety initiatives.
Resource Implications: None.
Action required: Head of DVS to ensure media release is issued on behalf of the Minister. Minister to invite a member of the Environment Scrutiny Panel to assist in considering applications for grants.
Signature:		Position:
Date Signed:		Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):

Community Safety Fund 2009 - Grants.

TRANSPORT AND TECHNICAL SERVICES

COMMUNITY SAFETY FUND 2009

Purpose of the Report

To ask the Minister for Transport & Technical Services to establish a revised procedure for the allocation of grants from the Community Safety Fund to deserving projects that will benefit the community as a whole.

BACKGROUND

In 1998 the Home Affairs Committee tasked Driver & Vehicle Standards to conduct annual auctions of ‘special’ vehicle registration marks, the proceeds of which would be used to fund community safety projects. From 1998 to 2005 the sum of £631,500 was raised through these auctions.

When the Community Safety Fund was operating under the aegis of the Home Affairs Committee its funds were disbursed by a Community Safety Panel consisting of:-

A member (not the President) of the Home Affairs Committee
The Head of Driver & Vehicle Standards
The Directorate Manager, Social Services
The Chief Inspector, States of Jersey Police
The Senior Fire Safety Officer
The Home Affairs Finance and Administration Manager

From 1998 £365,000 was disbursed from the fund to over 50 projects, ranging from Smoke Detectors for Senior Citizens to Honorary Police Publicity Material to Personal Attack Alarms.

The balance of the fund - £250,865 at 31 December 2006, was transferred to a TTS controlled account, as agreed by the Minister for Transport and Technical Services on 7 March 2007, under Ministerial Decision number MD-T-2007-0024.

Since the fund was transferred, the Minister has approved 13* grants for relatively small amounts (up to £10,000), totalling over £126,000. (*Ministerial Decision MD-T-2008-0076 awarded grants totalling £60,000 for nine separate part-time speed limit sites at primary schools).

Currently the balance of the fund is held in a TTS / DVS Business Unit and is reported as part of the Department’s overall revenue account. Once all approved grants to date have been disbursed, around £130,000 will remain in the fund.

DISCUSSION

The Community Safety Fund was established to provide money for deserving one off projects that would improve safety in the Island but for which insufficient or no funds were available to undertake the project. There have been a number of applications for grants received since the Fund was transferred to TTS (see the attached list – Appendix A). Thirteen of these applications have been approved as outlined in the background, three within the limit set for the Minister’s approval have been refused. Others that exceed £10,000 or have no sum stated have yet to be addressed. It should be noted that there would be insufficient monies left in the fund to meet, in full, those outstanding applications for grants in excess of £10,000.

No auctions of vehicle registrations marks have taken place since 2005 as it has not been necessary to supplement the Community Safety Fund.

It is understood that the Minister considers it important that the remaining funds are disbursed to deserving projects in the coming months and that the public is reminded that grants are available for deserving one off projects that would improve safety in the Island but for which insufficient or no funds are available.

The criteria previously approved for considering applications and awarding grants are:-

The proposal should be beneficial to the community at large;
For one off items of expenditure directly related to community safety;
Island based;
For proposals that would significantly enhance or raise awareness on community safety and for which there is no or insufficient public funding.

To date the Minister has been able to award grants up to £10,000. While this is seen as a reasonable sum that would allow relatively small but important projects to happen, in the current economic climate, there is likely to be merit in considering a grant up to £20,000 and to consider applications where an award of up to £20,000 would allow a larger project that has a shortfall of funds to proceed. It is expected that the grants will be disbursed and the projects completed, this year.

It is proposed, therefore, that::-

Through a media release, the public will be reminded of the availability of grants from the Community Safety Fund;
Applications will be invited, from organisations, for the award of grants up to £20,000 for projects that meet the criteria previously approved;
The Minister and a member of the Environment Scrutiny Panel will consider applications for grants and decide on the basis of the criteria, which awards to make.

RECOMMENDATION

It is recommended that the Minister:-

reminds the public of the availability of grants from the Community Safety Fund;
invites applications from organisations for the award of grants, up to £20,000, for projects that meet the criteria previously approved;
with a member of the Environment Scrutiny Panel, considers applications for grants and decides, on the basis of the criteria, which awards to make.

REASON FOR DECISION

To promote and help fund small but important community safety initiatives.

ACTION REQUIRED

Head of DVS to ensure media release is issued on behalf of the Minister.

Minister to invite a member of the Environment Scrutiny Panel to assist in considering applications for grants.

Written by:	Head of DVS

Approved by:	Director of Transport

Attachments: Appendix A - List of Enquiries for Grants from Community Safety Fund

24 June 2009