Archived press release

Date Published: 17/01/07

Dozens of community and voluntary groups across Aylesbury Vale are set to receive more than half a million pounds in council funding. Aylesbury Vale District Council has approved Service Level Agreement grants worth a total of over £540,000...

Dozens of community and voluntary groups across Aylesbury Vale are set to receive more than half a million pounds in council funding.

Aylesbury Vale District Council has approved Service Level Agreement grants worth a total of over £540,000 to help support local organisations for the next three financial years.

And the council has also agreed to award more than £40,000 in revenue funding for the 2007/8 financial year to assist projects that will benefit the community and improve the quality of life for residents within the district.

The council’s Service Level Agreement scheme exists to provide partnership funding to local voluntary and community organisations that deliver support and services to the residents of Aylesbury Vale and help the council to deliver its key aims.

This funding allows voluntary and community organisations to continue to support local residents by providing services such as benefits and employment advice, support for older people and access to community facilities.

Among the groups receiving thousands of pounds in Service Level Agreement grants are Aylesbury & District Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) with a grant of £86,000, Aylesbury & District Dial-a-Ride with £72,000, Buckingham & Winslow CAB with £71,500 and Bucks Play Association with £33,903.
 
An organisation receiving a Service Level Agreement grant for the first time is the Healthy Living Centre in Aylesbury, which has been awarded £15,000 to maintain the services they provide for local residents. The Healthy Living Centre is an organisation which aims to improve the health and well-being of those living in Southcourt and Walton Court. A wide variety of activities are provided, ranging from computer courses and behaviour workshops to chair-based exercises and health walks.

Samantha Hall, Chief Officer at the Healthy Living Centre, said: “The Healthy Living Centre is a well-used, successful project which supports individuals and families in the local community. This funding is a welcome contribution towards sustaining the many services and activities we provide.”

The council’s revenue grants are for schemes promoting the social, economic or environmental wellbeing of the local community. Projects for young people and schemes for disadvantaged and socially excluded communities dominate the list of grants awarded for 2007/8.

Among the initiatives for young people, £3,500 will be used by youth project Skidz to provide activities and opportunities for teenagers, including training in practical skills, educational support and safe driving. The Addiction Counselling Trust will get £1,500 towards the cost of a substance misuse outreach service for young people and a grant of £600 will allow the Aylesbury Child Contact Centre to provide a safe place for children to meet with parents who they no longer live with.

Among the projects aimed at ensuring the needs of disadvantaged and socially excluded communities are identified and addressed, £3,000 will be used by Aylesbury Vale Advocates to provide free support to vulnerable people who are unable to speak for themselves due to a disability, mental health problem or poor communication ability. And a grant of £3,750 will enable Q:Alliance to provide support to members of the lesbian, gay and bisexual communities across the Vale through a helpline, community support website and newsletter.

Other beneficiaries include Buzzer Buses  (£4,800 to pay for a community transport ‘dial-a-ride’ service covering Leighton, Linslade and surrounding Aylesbury Vale villages), Aylesbury Credit Union (£3,000 to provide high quality, low cost loans and saving facilities to some areas of Aylesbury Vale), Mediation Bucks (£2,500 towards the cost of a neighbour mediation service on issues such as anti-social behaviour, noise, parking and high hedges) and British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (£1,750 to provide advice, information and support to residents of Aylesbury Vale carrying out environmental tasks).

Councillor Pam Pearce, Cabinet Member for Community Matters, said: “I’m delighted to see that the grant aid is going to support such important work. These voluntary groups provide valuable community benefits for local residents across the district.”

She added: “Supporting the voluntary sector in Aylesbury Vale is a key area of our work. The majority of organisations in the sector are small, local voluntary groups which rely heavily on grant funding or charitable donations. This funding is therefore a real opportunity for them to continue to sustain their activities.”

For more details on the Service Level Agreement and revenue grants system, and for information on other council grants, please call (01296) 585186 or email grants@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk