Community project support fund could be halved according to Hertfordshire County Council budget proposals

Funding for local project support support local projects could be halved, according to Hertfordshire County Council’s budget proposals for 2024/25.

Currently, all 78 county councillors are granted £10,000 a year to allocate to local projects supporting the social, economic or environmental wellbeing of their local area.

And recent recipients have included organisations such as the Peabody Trust, DENS, the Ware Arts Centre, the Sunnyside Rural Trust and an appeal by the West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals.

But now budget plans have been drawn up that could see the value of the county council’s ‘members’ locality budget’ scheme cut in half.

That would mean councillors having an annual budget of £5,000 instead of £10,000 – with the overall amount available falling from £780k to £390k.

The council’s budget proposals – know as the ‘integrated plan’ – recognise this may have a ‘negative impact’ on communities, as funds are often used to support local activities which may not receive other sources of funding.

But they stress the move has been benchmarked against other authorities – with the proposed cuts in line with other local governments.

Executive member for adult care, heath and wellbeing Cllr Tony Kingsbury says that the ‘difficult decision’ reflects the council’s financial position.

And he stresses the locality budgets are not the only way the county council supports the voluntary and community sector in Hertfordshire.

He said: “Despite strong financial management of the council it is very challenging for ourselves and other councils in the years ahead.

“We have had to look at savings of £46m as well as £13m of reserves.

“There are lots of things we have had to look at as part of that and have to take difficult decisions to deliver a balanced budget.”

Cllr Kingsbury stresses that aside the locality budgets, the council’s adult care services alone spend around £16million a year through the voluntary and community sector.

He said benchmarking across other authorities had suggested that £5k was more in line with other similar schemes.

And he said councillors would still have the opportunity to support local projects.

Recent examples of how the locality budget – in place since 2009 – have helped local projects include the refurbishment of a building and garden area at a hostel run by The Pea Body Trust, £500 towards the DENS sleepout event in support of the homeless and a £1,000 grant to the Great Ashby Community Council towards a defibrillator and solar powered cabinet in the District Park, in Great Ashby.

Meanwhile £500 was allocated to an appeal by West Herts Teaching Hospitals towards the cost of a state of the art radiology scanner while £500 went to improve youth facilities at Watford Synagogue.

Other grants included £750 to the Ware Arts Centre towards the cost of a weekly drop-in session for parents and carers of pre-school children, and £750 was made available to the Sunnyside Rural Trust, for the purchase of accessible gardening tools for adults with learning difficulties.