West Suffolk Council pledges thousands of pounds to Citizens Advice and communities in Bury St Edmunds, Haverhill, Newmarket, Brandon and Mildenhall
West Suffolk Council has pledged thousands of pounds to support the health of wellbeing of people living in the Bury St Edmunds, Haverhill, Newmarket, Brandon and Mildenhall area.
Community funding support of close to £650,000 was discussed by cabinet members at a meeting last night, with the aim of encouraging more small community groups to apply for its annual grant scheme - the Community Chest.
The changes will see the application process streamlined to encourage smaller community organisations to apply.
It will also be renamed as the Thriving Communities Fund, with two levels of grant funding available when it opens to applications this summer.
Cllr Donna Higgins, cabinet member for families and communities at West Suffolk Council, who presented the recommend changes to cabinet, said: “These changes will improve on the support available for community initiatives large and small to help the health and wellbeing of residents in West Suffolk.
“Our councillors all have an important role in the heart of their communities. This includes using their locality budget funds which are available throughout the year, to support community initiatives that help or benefit residents in their wards.”
The first – offering grants of between £2,000 and £8,000 - will be for one-off projects run by community groups, that will support residents in a small part of the district such as an estate or village.
The second – with grants of between £8,001 and £20,000 – will fund work to support residents across the whole of West Suffolk or larger parts of the district such as a town.
Cabinet members also approved a grant agreement which gives certainty to Citizens Advice West Suffolk.
West Suffolk Council pledged to gives Citizens Advice West Suffolk £200,000 a year for the next three years.
Previously the charity had to bid for money towards its operational costs, competing with other good causes for limited funds with no guarantee over what to expect.
