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EAST BERGHOLT PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES OF THE EXTRAORDINARY MEETING OF THE STRATEGY, POLICY AND FINANCE
COMMITTEE

5 June 2025

Present – Parish Councillors
Councillor R Elmer (Chairman)
Councillor M Hurley
Councillor M Hockley
Councillor J Miller
Councillor N Roberts

In Attendance
G White, Parish Clerk

OPEN PUBLIC SESSION
No members of the public were present.

1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies for absence from Councillors Davies and Price were NOTED.

2. DECLARATION OF INTERESTS
None.

3. COMMUNITY HARDSHIP FUND
At its meeting on 13 March 2025 the Council had awarded an interim grant of £250 to the Parochial
Church Council for the immediate benefit of its hardship fund and referred the matter to this committee
for further consideration of a longer term predictable and sustainable methodology to assist in the
alleviation of hardship. Councillors Hurley and Hockley had met the Church Warden and the Primary
School Headteacher to discuss the way forward and Councillor Hurley’s report was before the
committee for consideration.

Councillor Hurley presented his report, which had been circulated and said that he was satisfied that
there was an established need for such a fund and suggested that a further award of £750 from the
Council would meet that need for the current financial year. He also suggested how the fund might be
administered. Other parties would be invited to contribute to the fund.

Councillor Roberts expressed reservations about the structure of the fund and how it might be
administered. In the course of debate it became clear that the Council wished to remain at arm’s
length from the administration of the fund and merely provide a start-up grant to aid the establishment
of the fund, leaving the administration of it to the PCC, an accredited local organisation with worthy
intentions. At the end of the financial year the Council will request a report from the PCC to provide
information on how the grant had been spent and with what effect.

It was proposed by Councillor Hurley, seconded by Councillor Hockley and RESOLVED (unanimously)
that pursuant to section 1 of the Localism Act 2011 the Council awards £750, additional to the £250
already awarded, specifically for the purposes of setting up the Community Hardship Fund which will
provide food vouchers for families established to be in urgent need of support. The grant is awarded
on the basis that the PCC and Primary School Head Teacher will co-operate on determining terms
and conditions and on criteria to be used in dispensing grants.

The meeting closed at 8.35pm.

Chairman…………………………………………………………………………………….Date……………………………………….