Agenda item

Report of the Corporate Director (Housing and Communities) on the Review of the Hatfield Community Sport Fund.  The review has taken place and associated recommendations and alterations are being proposed.

Members considered the report of the Corporate Director (Housing and Communities) on the review of the Hatfield Community Sport fund.  The report noted that in February 2016 the Development Management Committee agreed to a variation of the Section 106 agreement attached to the planning permission S6/2003/0150/FP dated 13 January 2006. The previous agreement was for the University of Hertfordshire to replace sports pitches and facilities at Angerland Common, on the exercise of the planning permission.  After lengthy negotiations between all key stakeholders, this obligation was replaced with a new obligation requiring the University tocontribute the sum of £1.4 million, on completion of the deed of variation, into a designated bank account administered by Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council on behalf of a Hatfield Community Sports Fund (the fund).

It was agreed by Cabinet on 5 April 2016 that the Fund should be overseen and administered by the Hatfield Community Sports Fund Board (HCSFB), which was established through the Local Strategic Partnership (Welwyn Hatfield Alliance). It was agreed that a proportion of the Fund to be ring-fenced specifically for football and for rugby, with the remaining funds being made available, via a grants system administered by the HCSFB, to the wider sporting community of Hatfield.

Members noted that the Fund has now been operational for three years and to date only £116,487 has been spent from the £1.4million.  All of the expenditure has been from the wider community sports pot, no expenditure has been made from the ring-fenced football or rugby funds. Fund’s Board requested that consideration be given to a review of criteria associated to the Fund. Cabinet agreed to freeze the Fund in September 2019 whilst that review took place.

The review has now been concluded and associated recommendations and alterations were being proposed. Members raised and discussed the following points:

1.    It was stated that the main reason for this review was to make it clearer for clubs to apply for funding for sports facilities.

2.    Noted that the Board supported the original split of funds (£800,000 – football / £200,000 – rugby / £400,000 – community).

3.    The funds are for sports facilities within Hatfield. Some discussion ensued on the use of funds within Welham Green and surrounding parishes. It was clarified that that the scope of the review did not include the geographical where funds could or could not be spent.   Should this be something that Members want to review that would be a matter for the Development Management Committee to review.

4.    Clarification was sought on the possible development of sports facility at Birchwood.  The Officers advised that there had been some publicity via the press some time ago but no planning application has been received.  Also it was explained that any pre-planning application advice was confidential – between Planning and the developer/applicant.

5.    A Member requested that the wording at 3.13 within the report ‘Three Board members highlighted the need for greater dialogue and communication between the Hatfield Community Sport Fund and the Welwyn Hatfield Community Fund (managed by GLL).’, be removed, as it was felt that collaboration would not be workable, as these are two very different funds.  It was clarified by the Officer that it has been set up to avoid double funding of projects and to ensure great transparency between the funds. The criteria has been tightened to ensure that the fund is used for what it is intended. As such there was an agreement that the wording was not needed to be changed.

6.    Applicants will now be required to engage with Officers prior to making an application to ensure that clubs and organisations apply for projects/programmes that meet the new criteria.

RESOLVED:

(Unanimously)

1.1         To recommend that Cabinet agrees to the new criteria as proposed by the Hatfield Community Sport Fund Board (set out in Paragraphs 3.9 and 3.10 of this report and in Appendix three).

1.2         To recommend that Cabinet agrees the revised submissions process for applications to the Hatfield Community Sport Fund Board as set out in paragraph 3.9.4 of this report and allows applications to be submitted from January 2021.