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Adur's Pot of Gold success

Ref : 10/015 : Date : 26-01-2010

UPDATE : see news release 10/020

Adur Council are celebrating the success of their first £120,000 Pot of Gold project. This is the first project of its kind to take place in West Sussex, which involved the community in helping decide how council tax money is spent.

Other councils are undertaking similar projects around the country but Adur Council have invested, for a district council, the largest amount of money nationwide, into their Pot of Gold project.

Live voting was a feature of the Pot of Gold event, which took place on 13th January. The public were invited to vote either as part of a 'studio audience' or online for projects and ideas put forward by community groups, charities, voluntary organisations and residents. The money is divided into two pots, a large pot of £100,000 for larger projects and £20,000 for smaller projects.

Council leader, Neil Parkin said: “Despite the awful weather on the night we had a packed audience who got into the swing of all the voting. It was great to see how people responded and got involved in this project. This is what local democracy is all about.”

The voting is over and the results of Adur’s pot of gold can now be revealed. .

Here are the results for the large pot :

• Adur Council for Voluntary Services bid for £18,350 to improve the access to Chesham House, Lancing for people with disabilities received 181 online votes and received 93 percent support at the Pot of Gold event.
• Adur Furniture Network bid for £12,500 to upgrade the shop frontage for disabled access and internal flooring received 82 online votes and received 90 percent support at the Pot of Gold event.
• Kingston Beach Residents bid for £20,000 to improve and return Kingston beach to its previous condition once the new lifeboat station has been built received 57 online votes and received 41 percent support at the Pot of Gold event.
• Lancing Methodist Church's bid for £20,000 to Replacement of the flat roof which is over the area of the church used by community groups received 71 online votes and received 83 percent support at the Pot of Gold event.
• National Coastwatch’s bid for £12,800 to install a BT landline and improve the communications equipment in the facility received 101 online votes and received 100 percent at the Pot of Gold event.
• The Shoreham Centre's bid for £15,000 to refurbish the ladies and gents toilets at The Shoreham Centre received 140 online votes and received 53 percent support at the Pot of Gold event.

A report is going to Full Council on the 16 February 2010 recommending the full approval of five of the large pot bids and recommending that the Kingston Beach project, which scored the lowest, be either rejected or deferred pending further discussions with residents.

Eight projects were shortlisted for the smaller projects up to £10,000 :

• Adur Special Needs Project - £1,000 : To purchase a large screen television, DVD equipment and DVD's for the use of children with visual impairment. The television will be big enough for up to 50 children with visual impairments to be able to enjoy fun films at the project.
• BMXers, Southwick - £2,500 : Installation and improvements to the BMX ramps available for use at the already established site at Southwick recreations ground. This project will be carried out in conjunction with Adur's Parks Department.
• Girl Guiding UK - £5,000 : Funding towards replacement of the old wooden framed single glazed windows and doors with new upvc windows at the Girl Guide HQ in Penhill Road Lancing.
• Seaside Hospital Radio, Worthing and Southlands - £5,000 : Upgrading of the hospital radio studio equipment so that they can continue to broadcast to the patients and staff at Worthing and Southlands hospital
• Parkside Residents Association - £2,000 : Enhance a small plot of land at the south end of Parkside, Shoreham by creating a conservation garden with equipment that will encourage wildlife such as bat, bird and ladybird boxes, pollinating bee logs and butterfly feeders.
• Ropetackle - £5,000 : The Art of Science Festival in conjunction with Sussex University, first held in 2009. The aim of the event it to show how science and art can work together to entertain and inform. Free tickets will be able to children and their families from deprived wards in Adur and also the over 60's.
• Scouts, Southwick - £1,260 : Replace the insultation in the roof at the scout hut in Southwick, this will not only improve warmth but make strides to make the building more environmentally friendly.
• St Mary de Haura - £1,000 : Funding towards enhancements to the church ground of St Mary de Haura in Shoreham. The money will specifically used to purchase heritage bins.

All the projects scored over 50 percent support and this leaves the council with dilemma. They will have to decide whether to fund all the projects by increasing the 'small pot' by £2,760 or not increasing it and dropping one of the projects. This decision will be made at Full Council on the 16 February 2010 at the Civic Centre, Shoreham.

Ends

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