Your Choice, Your Voice Richard Downing Community Engagement Manager Leicestershire County Council

Your Choice, Your Voice Leicestershire Together has made £20,000 available to each of Charnwood’s 7 Area Forums for allocation through a Participatory Process Money has to be spent by March 2011 Participatory Process agreed through Charnwood Together

Your Choice, Your Voice - Process 1)Charnwood Together set priorities Opportunities and facilities for children and young people and Improving access to services Creating cleaner, greener, safer living environments Workshop – Generating & sharing ideas & putting them in order of priority 11 project ideas put forward 9 projects put to final vote 1)Priority ideas developed further into robust projects – co-ordinated by Task Group 2)Feedback from Task Group to Area Forum on how funding can be allocated in line with the workshop priorities 3)Charnwood Together agrees allocation of funding, in line with the recommendation by the Area Forum

Workshop feedback Do you agree with the following statement? a)I really enjoyed today’s workshop and I am glad I attended? 95% AGREED0% Disagreed b)I felt I had plenty of opportunity to share my ideas today 90% AGREED0% Disagreed c)I felt the way projects were prioritised was fair and inclusive? 82% AGREED9% Disagreed

Your Choice, Your Voice Task Group – Role: Work with project groups to ensure that priority projects are -APPROPRIATE - in line with the 3 priorities for the area - not duplicating, value for money -FEASIBLE -Can project be delivered by March SUSTAINABLE -Does project provide real solution with longer term benefit -Will project lead to problems further down the line

Your Choice, Your Voice After the workshops … Priority Projects Other Project Ideas Project Development TASK GROUP co-ordinates Forum Recommends allocation LSP Decides allocation Signposting Ideas are circulated to various funders, advisors and relevant officers to identify further opportunities for funding & support

Project updates “Cleaner greener Loughborough” and “Eliminate chewing gum mess” will be covered through work that will be undertaken by CBC in conjunction with the schoolchildren who proposed it. There will be a “Clean Up Loughborough” Day on Weds 26 th May 2010, details to be confirmed, organised by CBC

Your Choice, Your Voice What are we doing today? Report from the Task Group on progress with the Priority Projects identified at the workshop Task Group has made recommendations on how best to allocate the Forum’s budget in line with the results of the workshop With Forum’s endorsement these recommendations will be passed to Charnwood Together for formal decision making

RankRank Project titleAmount requestedProposed Share of budget Recommendation 1Improved footpath access to Outwoods Improving safety and encouraging usage/access to the Outwoods. The most important issue is the danger of using the continuation of the Woodhouse Road pavement. This would lead to increased numbers of people using the Outwoods for recreation and leisure and allow potential linkage to other footpaths leading to Beacon Hill and beyond. Suggest up to £9, Potentially all of the £20,000 could be spent on this one project, which has an estimated cost of £150,000 total.. The Task Group recommends the Forum support this project idea, with an allocation of £9,500 to put towards footpath improvements, pending further development work Further work continues to identify alternative solutions involving a range of partners including Severn Trent, Highways, CBC and National Forest. 2Footpath linking Mountfields Lodge and Ashmount School Measures to make access to Mountfields school (from Ashmount school) easy and usable for children with special needs for extended school activities etc. This will make it easier for children with special needs to be included in wider opportunities. Site visit unearthed that removal of a bollard and possible small area of tarmac could address the problem relatively cheaply, improving existing access without the need for a new footpath. Outcome – improved inclusion for children with special needs and possible saving on current transport costs. Suggest up to £5,000 The Task Group recommends the Forum support this project idea with an allocation of up to £5,000 to pay for the necessary improvements, pending detailed quotes etc.. 3Glebe House Allotment Project To be able to create all raised beds, hard core and paths and to install sheds etc and to purchase everything on their dream list they originally said that the cost would be £8,000. The minimum amount needed for the project to go ahead would be £5,000. Volunteer groups could help with some of the work it was suggested that they also look at the community cash back scheme to help with the costs. The allotment would be used by the wider community and Ashmount school as well as Glebe House. Suggest £4, Some support in kind has now been secured from alternative sources. We have now had an alternative budget presented to us, and noted the need for work to start imminently. The new requirement is for a minimum of £3, to include improving access for wheelchairs. A further £1,850 will provide a portable disabled toilet. TOTAL AMOUNT UP TO £20,000£19,500If all of this is allocated, this will use up most of the Forum budget. The remaining £500 could be used to provide 5 cycle racks, using all of the budget.

Your Choice, Your Voice Updates at the next Area Forum & on the Community Forum Website