7:00am Thursday 9th September 2010
By Emily Allen
PARISH councillors have boosted the coffers of five community projects on an Oxford estatewith money from local taxes.
Blackbird Leys Parish Council has forked out almost £8,500 to help groups, including the Holy Family Church and Dovecote Playscheme.
Representatives of the groups addressed the council, before councillors made their decision. In total, £8,409 was gifted to the community.
The council has a bank balance of more than £53,000 and the grant budget for this year is £30,000 – almost double what was awarded last year. Another round of grants will take place in January.
Council chairman Gordon Roper, said: “It’s important for us to use this council tax money for the residents of the estate. People can apply for anything from £50 to £7,000.”
The Dovecote Voluntary Parent Committee, based in Greater Leys, was granted £3,000 towards the cost of buying a narrowboat to take children on river trips.
The Holy Family Church was given £500 to set up a scarecrow competition.
The church’s Russell Price said: “We are running the scarecrow competition so groups across the Leys can demonstrate what a diverse community we are.”
The council will also give Leys Fair £1,000 towards the cost of the Saturday’s event, and the Starlight Community Project will get £2,500 towards printing a newsletter for girls in secondary schools around the city.
Jim Hewitt, of the Blackbird Leys Credit Union, was granted £1,409 for office equipment.
The council got £30,000 from the 2010/11 council tax bill, about £8.14 from the average Band D home.
However, the council decided not to support the Leys Community Development Initiative, to fund holiday playschemes.
An application from Blackbird Leys Neighbourhood Support Scheme was withdrawn before the meeting.
The council recently decided to ‘tidy up’ its grant procedures after members said one-off grants had been given to groups which had no sustainable funding.
It agreed to be much firmer in seeing accounts from any group or organisation applying for money.
To apply for a parish grant, write to clerk Malcolm Anderson at 13 Bailey Road, Oxford, or got to the7pm meetings on the last Tuesday of the month at the Community Centre in Blackbird Leys Road.
eallen@oxfordmail.co.uk
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