Agenda item

Consider report by Director of Resilient Communities.  (Copy attached.)

2.1       There had been circulated copies of a report by the Director of Resilient Communities which provided an update on the delivery of the Scottish Government Place Based Investment Programme which had allocated £33m of capital funding to Scottish Local Authorities, payable in the financial year 2022/23 to support town centre regeneration projects and community wealth building.  Scottish Government and Council Leaders had agreed that Local Authorities would receive a share of funding to help support place based investment over a five year period. The current financial year was the second year of the programme. The Scottish Borders had been allocated £791k based on a combination of total population and existing deprivation levels.  The allocation needed to be financially committed by the end of the current financial year. Council officers had identified a number of potential projects throughout the Scottish Borders that funding could be allocated to within the current financial year. Details of the proposals were provided in the report.  The Director of Resilient Communities explained that the funding proposed in the report aimed to accelerate community led regeneration and advance community wealth building.  The importance of projects being delivered within the financial year was highlighted, and the Director explained that any part of the allocation which had not been used by the end of the year would be returned to the Scottish Government.  The Director provided some additional details of the proposed projects.  The £370k which had been allocated to the sports changing facilitates and social hub in Chirnside was part of a total project cost in the region of £630k.  The £25k which had been allocated to assist the purchase of a sports pitch in Gordon was part of an overall £50k project cost.  The Stow Community Trust, which was developing a pump track had been allocated £60k, with significant levels of match funding in place.   Greenlaw Bowling Club had been allocated £80k to help expand and modernise their club pavilion, with additional funding provided by the club, to help deliver the overall project at a cost of approximately £140k.  The Lead Officer – Economic Development, Mr Graeme Johnstone, had worked with all of the proposed projects, and the aim had been to provide a reasonable mix of projects across the region. 

2.2         Members thanked officers for their excellent work, welcomed the report, and highlighted that all of the projects would deliver real positives for local people and the wider region.  In response to a question regarding whether a contingency project was in place should one of the list be unable to proceed, the Director explained that due to the timeframes involved it was unlikely that a back-up project would be completed in time.  Ms Smith stressed that capital projects were being closely monitored due to inflationary pressures, and that if a project was to unable to proceed then it was an option to provide additional support to another ongoing project from the list.  In response to a question regarding how projects were selected for funding support, the Director explained that the current list of projects for approval had come to the Council’s attention via partnership working, and undertook to promote funding opportunities on a wider, more effective basis to communities.  The Acting Chief Executive explained that the funding landscape was cluttered, and acknowledged that communities should have access to a clearer picture of what was available.  Work to improve the Council website to more effectively direct and signpost groups to funding opportunities would be undertaken.  The Director encouraged any community or Elected Member to engage with the Community Engagement Officers in their respective localities who would be able to help communities with potential project funding.  The Chairman highlighted that communities and volunteers were delivering projects which would improve where they lived. 

DECISION

AGREED to:-

(a)        note the progress made to deliver the Scottish Government’s Place Based Investment Programme which was intended to provide funding for Scottish Local Authorities over the next three years; and

(b)       to commit £791k from the current financial year allocation to ten projects throughout the Scottish Borders as detailed in the report.