News
Council launches New Community Support Plan
14 November 2006
Mayor of North Down, Councillor Alan Leslie, held a buffet
lunch this week (14 November) in the Town Hall to mark the
launch by Council of its new Community Support Plan for
the Borough, which will run until 2009. The event also marked
the award of the more than £6,500 to community and
voluntary Groups working for the benefit of North Down residents
in the latest round of Council's grant aid programme. A
total of 14 groups received grants of between £200
and £500 to conduct projects within their respective
areas.
The Mayor commented, “The importance of community
and voluntary work in helping to make North Down a better
place to live, work and visit cannot be underestimated.
The Council's Community Support Plan is geared towards helping
meet this goal, along with our strategic aim of achieving
and encouraging 'sustainability' for communities within
the Borough.”
The production of a Community Support Plan is a fundamental
requirement for Local Authorities in order to receive Government
funding from the Department for Social Development (DSD).
This funding can be to fund activity locally. In the 2006
financial year alone North Down Borough Council will spend
almost £850,000 to help fund the provision of community
activity and summer schemes, maintain community halls and
contribute towards capacity building work. DSD gives a grant
of more than £90,000 to assist North Down Borough
Council in meeting these costs.
One strand of the Council's Plan is the grant aiding of
local groups to undertake their own community development
work. Grants are awarded to groups that are starting out
on the road to supporting their community or to those already
established that want to undertake a larger specific task.
North Down Borough Council has awarded over £12,500
to twenty-eight groups for these purposes in 2006.
Mayor Leslie continued, “Community Grants are advertised
and awarded at varying times so there are a number of opportunities
for organisations to apply annually. If anyone working for
a voluntary or community organisation in North Down thinks
they might be eligible for financial support I would encourage
them to submit an application and benefit from these excellent
Schemes.”
The Council’s Project Grant Scheme is openly advertised
in the Spectator and on the Council's website (www.northdown.gov.uk)
up to three times a year. It will next be advertised in
April 2007. Examples of recent projects that have been funded
via this scheme include a grant of £500 to the Kilcooley
Womens Education and Development Group towards the costs
of a community-based evening Yoga class in Kilcooley Community
Centre; and a project grant of £410 to Holywood After
Schools Club towards the costs of a winter puppet workshop
(Christmas theme) for children from the local area.
Certain criteria must be met before making an application.
These are largely based around the organisation applying
being democratically governed and having clear philanthropic
objectives. Additionally, any project seeking funding must
meet at least one of three community development themes
- research and consultation; training and education; and
community activity.
Full details of the Council's Support Plan and Community
Development Grant Scheme can be obtained by contacting Community
Services on (028) 9127 0371.
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