NTC - a local council for local people Options

[Simon Kirby]

NTC recently gave £9k of grant money to various organisations and some of the choices raised the Swift-Hook eyebrow.

As Newbury Town Council, I think it is important that the limited amount of grant support that we are able to give each year is focused as tightly as possible on Newbury-based organisations serving the residents of Newbury. With this in mind, I will be asking Council to look at the criteria against which we award our grants with a view to ensuring that in future years we prioritise support to Newbury-based organisations serving exclusively or mainly Newbury residents.

I'm not so sure I agree. The Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust for example is a regional organisation, but in the desperate event that you need their services they're available to everyone in Newbury. The Trust provides a useful social service to the whole of the community, and to my mind that's the only criterion and to deny them support because they're not local is just arbitrary.

The Church of St George the Martyr on the other hand is a branch of an extremely wealthy national organisation. I object to being taxed to support this organisation, not because it's national, but because it serves an exclusive special interest group.

Neither does the local nature of the the Newbury & District Association of the National Trust recommend it for support from the tax-payer. The association organises trips to National Trust properies for its members which is nice, but I wouldn't expect to be taxed to pay for a group of Reading supporters to attend away games, or for trips to Glyndebourne for a group of opera fans, so it escapes me how this organisation should qualify for my tax money.

Have a look for yourself, there are several other eye-brow-raisers in the grant-supported groups.

So yes, I agree there's a need to review the criteria for grants, but I don't agree that a parochial view is right. In the Big Society age I'd rather the state left it up to me how I wanted to spend my money, but if the parish council is going to support groups then I suggest the criterion for support is that the group provides a valuable social services to the whole of the community, and that funding minority interests and passtimes is definitely out.

If Julian is really bothered about keeping it local he might like to think about the services provided by NTC and paid for by Newbury tax-payers that are used gratis by residents of our neighbouring parishes, not least Greenham where he's also a councillor and the household precept is less than half that in Newbury. Perhaps he'd like to suggest that Greenham doubles its precept and donates half to NTC.

[Andy Capp]

So yes, I agree there's a need to review the criteria for grants, but I don't agree that a parochial view is right. In the Big Society age I'd rather the state left it up to me how I wanted to spend my money, but if the parish council is going to support groups then I suggest the criterion for support is that the group provides a valuable social services to the whole of the community, and that funding minority interests and passtimes is definitely out.

I'm on the fence here. I'm not too bothered money going to a select few, provided it goes to the under privileged. Although I would hate to see our heritage fall into a state of decay because people prefer to spend money on iPhones.

[NewburyP]

Always a tough call when it comes to charitable donations as you can never please everyone. The amount mentioned is £9,000 which is small in respect to NTC's million pound budget. Perhaps we should be asking why it costs £330k to administer a £1 million pound budget - if the costs were reduced NTC could support many other organisations, or even lower the precept!

[On the edge]

£9,000 may seem a small amount to some. But I was always taught to look after the pennies. Sorry, I'm wholly against the Council giving any grants to charities. No matter how worthy, they should appeal to us directly. I simply want the Council to do the job we've elected them to do - nothing more, nothing less.

[Strafin]

I alwyas thought it was a bit didgy fr councils to support charities. I remember when the skate park in Thatcham was first built, a collection of gangly teenagers were credited with raising all the money, but on closer inspection they had just applied to the council for a grant.

[blackdog]

Neither does the local nature of the the Newbury & District Association of the National Trust recommend it for support from the tax-payer. The association organises trips to National Trust properies for its members which is nice, but I wouldn't expect to be taxed to pay for a group of Reading supporters to attend away games, or for trips to Glyndebourne for a group of opera fans, so it escapes me how this organisation should qualify for my tax money.

The Newbury NT trips are high priced - in order to ensure there is a profit to give to the national National Trust for whom they are a fund raising group. I am astounded that NTC are grant funding them.

[Andy Capp]

I alwyas thought it was a bit didgy fr councils to support charities. I remember when the skate park in Thatcham was first built, a collection of gangly teenagers were credited with raising all the money, but on closer inspection they had just applied to the council for a grant.

A little like with the Newbury skate park I suspect.

[Jayjay]

NWN reports Adrian Edwards as saying posters on this subject are "misguided", "not aware of the criteria" and "out of order". Point taken Mr Edwards, but I would ask why we are misguided and not aware. Could it be that the town council are failing to provide the information to allow us to make a more aware judgement?

As Mr Edwards obviously reads the forum, would it be a sensible approach for him to place a post informing us of the criteria that is applied in making these grants.

[blackdog]

As Mr Edwards obviously reads the forum, would it be a sensible approach for him to place a post informing us of the criteria that is applied in making these grants.

Or he could ensure that the minutes of the Grants Committee are put online - as are those for all other committees apart from the Staff Committee (which I can see could include sensitive material).

[TallDarkAndHands...]

All Politicians, even local ones think that we are idiots and that they know best. Its typical of someone like Edwards who rides around on his bike like little Lord Faunteroy to say this sort of thing. It's just like our massive Central Government foreign aid. Who wactually wants us to splurge all this money on foreign aid. Not the majority of tax payers. In these 'austere' times charity should begin at home.

[Andy Capp]

All Politicians, even local ones think that we are idiots and that they know best. Its typical of someone like Edwards who rides around on his bike like little Lord Faunteroy to say this sort of thing. It's just like our massive Central Government foreign aid. Who wactually wants us to splurge all this money on foreign aid. Not the majority of tax payers. In these 'austere' times charity should begin at home.

I am as guilty as anyone, but I would imagine some of the language on this site would put some off. I do though, agree with your sentiment. Perhaps a little 'transparency training' would be advisable? I think Jayjay has the right idea.

[Cognosco]

I am as guilty as anyone, but I would imagine some of the language on this site would put some off. I do though, agree with your sentiment. Perhaps a little 'transparency training' would be advisable? I think Jayjay has the right idea.

Is there any other forum members who think that local Counillors are only transparent on things that they want us to know, which seem few and far between, and try to keep the taxpayers in the dark on the rest of the council business?

[Andy Capp]

I noticed reading the article that Mr Edwards was way short on information. In this 'cynical age', it takes more detail than a councillor to say we are wrong, for us to believe them. Besides, what is 'out-of-order' to question the rational for grant allowances. Perhaps these rather unpopular councillors don't like the essence of freedom of speech. He is certainly free to come on here and put us right, but I won't hold my breath, councillors are shy when it comes to doing things like that.

[On the edge]

I'm even more cynical I'm afraid. I suspect that most Councillors simply don't know - kept just as much in the dark as we are. That's probably the real reason the public Forums were stopped - it became too obvious. Sadly, that's probably why most people don't vote in local elections - simply no point. Lets face reality - as party politics plays strong even at local level - things are done to us, rather than for us. Ironically, it is still transparent - just that there is nothing the other side of the window!