[Councillor Kevin Guy with new library member Bobby and their grandmother Gina]
We’re being asked to help decide whether three projects benefitting neighbourhoods should receive community funding in a Bath & North East Somerset Council consultation launched this week.
The shortlisted projects for the consultation on round 17 of the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) for Bath are:
- The West of England Rural Network – three new Village Agents for Bath to help link people in rural areas with advice and support services
- A lighting upgrade at the Percy Community Centre to improve facilities, reduce costs and cut carbon emissions
- A ‘ride to work’ scheme by Bike Transition Bath to encourage commuting by electric bike instead of car
CIL is a planning charge payable on new building developments to be spent on projects that benefit the community.
From the overall CIL that is collected, 15% is allocated to the Neighbourhood Portion of CIL for Bath. Bath & North East Somerset Council has a statutory responsibility to allocate the funds as there is no parish council for Bath. To date, the Neighbourhood Portion of CIL for Bath has allocated more than £2.53m to 65 local projects.
Outside of Bath, parish and town councils directly receive and distribute 15% of the levy unless they have a Neighbourhood Plan in place, in which case they receive 25% of the levy. More than £1.8m in CIL payments have been made outside of Bath since 2015.
Councillor Kevin Guy, council Leader, visited Love Weston Library last week which is run entirely by volunteers and received a grant of £17,300 from Bath CIL in the 16th funding round.
Councillor Guy said: “I was very pleased to see the significant upgrades to Love Weston Library’s equipment and furniture – and meet a new recruit! The allocation of funding has also meant the library can secure its premises for the next five years and continue to provide residents with free access to books in the heart of the community.
“Projects like these have a positive and lasting impact on our communities. Because Bath has no parish or town councils as our North East Somerset area does, it is the council’s role to allocate the funds – however, we need to hear from you to help us decide where the money from this round should go.”
The consultation runs until 31 October and can be responded to online. Anyone who needs the information in another format should email connecting_communities@bathnes.gov.uk or call 01225 396 975.
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