Test Valley Partnership is encouraging residents to submit their vote between Monday 12 August and Friday 23 August 2013, to decide which community projects should benefit from a share of £17,000.
Over the past few weeks, local community groups have had the opportunity to bid for up to £2,000 as part of Hampshire County Council’s Have Your Say scheme.
After applications closed, representatives of the Partnership, which is the organisation responsible for allocating the funds locally, met with young people from a variety of backgrounds from across the borough to gather their feedback on the bids.
The projects will now be put to a public vote, to enable local people to choose where the money is spent. Residents can find information on all the bids, as well as feedback from the young people, and submit their vote at the following link:
www.testvalley.gov.uk/haveyoursay
Users will be asked to rank the projects in ascending order, with number one being the bid they would most like the money awarded to.
Funds will be shared equally between the north and south of the borough, with the top three bids in each area guaranteed to receive the total amount requested. Runners-up will be then be reviewed in ascending order and allocated the total amount asked for until all money has been spent. There will be a separate vote for the north and south and residents will be asked to complete whichever relates to the area they live in.
Councillor Ian Carr, Leader of Test Valley Borough Council and Chairman of Test Valley Partnership, said: “This process is very much about encouraging communities to decide where money should be spent locally. I would stronglyurge anyone living in Test Valley to have their say on how these funds are used. This is an opportunity not to be missed.”
For more information please contact Kathryn Lamb, Communications Officer on 01264 368107.
While I am not denigrating any of the projects applying for this funding in any way, shape or form, I feel this is just political window dressing to make us THINK that we can determine what TVBC spends OUR cash on. The old adage of “Bribing the electorate with their own money” springs to mind.
But this is a drop in the ocean. £17,000 from £48 million of usable reserves. With my maths that is 0.035% of the largesse that TVBC is sitting on, while our community is starved of funds to improve the town.
Also, while voting is not open till 12 August, it would be helpful if we could at least be able to review the list of candidate projects – there is nothing I can find on the TVBC website which shows that.