Whitchurch Canonicorum (Penny Watt)
Wootton Fitzpaine (Penny Watt)
Morecombelake (Penny Watt)
| The Char Valley Village Communities Action Plans 2003 |
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for Whitchurch Canonicorum, Wootton Fitzpaine and Stanton St. Gabriel Parishes |
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| Action Plans for Issues affecting all Three Parishes |
| 10. Our three Village Halls Our village halls are a vital asset in the social life of our parishes. We have three halls (at Whitchurch Canonicorum, Wootton Fitzpaine and Morcombelake) to serve distinct but very small communities. Each serves about 350 residents, some of whom never use a hall. All three halls are old buildings, all are high maintenance and one is a listed building. The halls are not run by the Parish Council, but are all owned and managed by individual Charitable Trusts. The Management Committees of these Trusts have a duty not only to look after the fabric of their Halls, but to see that the facilities (particularly access and toilets for the disabled, kitchen arrangements and security) are all kept up to the exacting standards required for an entertainment licence. This is not an easy task. We do feel that the Parish Council should provide financial help in the form of grants. However, it must be said that the chief onus for supporting the halls financially should rest, as in the past, with the local residents and the Management Committees, who have worked extraordinarily hard to raise funds for their projects. In the past and in the foreseeable future, the Parish Council has, and will continue to provide 5% of the cost of approved projects, which enables a Hall Committee to apply for grant aid. This 5% has been paid directly by the residents of all three parishes through the Parish element of your Council Tax, whichever hall is involved. A Hall Committee has to raise half of the cost of any project and the county and district councils can grant aid up to 55%, depending on the size and the cost of the project. West Dorset District Council is now proposing an optional scheme whereby it will make loans. The Parish Council has in place Standing Orders which state that it will not take out, or guarantee loans, which would add to the Council Tax burden, while the existing grant system is in place. |
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ACTION PLAN AIMS:
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| To see that the residents of our parishes
have a well maintained, well organised space for social gatherings, entertainment
and education. Actions on village hall funding: • Organise a standard procedure for an application to the Parish Council for funding. The Parish Council needs to have sufficient detail, in writing and through discussion, for the Finance Committee and then the full Parish Council to make a decision. • To see that a Councillor continues to be appointed as a representative to each Village Hall Committee. Information for residents Advice and funding information for Village Halls from Lois Rose at Dorset Community Action (direct line) 01305 216416. |
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Whitchurch Canonicorum (Penny Watt) |
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Wootton Fitzpaine (Penny Watt) |
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Morecombelake (Penny Watt) |
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