Eastfield community projects could receive funding if plan is approved
Scarborough Borough Council will look to approve them
Two community projects in Eastfield could receive funding of up to £145,000 if the plan is approved by Scarborough Council.
Community hub projects in Eastfield run by Carers Plus Yorkshire and More Than Books could receive £145,000 of funding to support their delivery of “a range of social wellbeing initiatives”.
Carers Plus Yorkshire applied for £55,000 towards the development of a ‘food hub’ at the old café premises at 120 Westway for 27 months.
A report prepared by the council states that the investment would “help to establish the asset as a social hub providing a range of community activities revolving around cooking and food” which emerged through dialogue with local community groups.
Additionally, £90,000 would go towards the ongoing development of More Than Books – formally Eastfield Community Library – as “an established community wellbeing hub”.
It would deliver a range of social activities for young people and families, including horticultural and outdoor activities and “a range of activity above and beyond the traditional library remit”, according to the authority.
The plan is set to be approved by the cabinet member for inclusive growth, Cllr Liz Colling, on Tuesday, February 14.
The total project cost for the More Than Books scheme would be £106,804 with the organisation contributing £16,804 of match funding, with money also to be spent on solar panels for the building’s roof and creating a new café facility and garden area.
A two-year development officer post would also be funded, with the officer’s duties to include establishing a funding and sustainability strategy and piloting income generation activity.
The grants from Scarborough Council are to be funded by income that the authority received following the sale of 48 acres of land in Middle Deepdale, Eastfield for the purpose of housing development.
In February 2019 the authority’s cabinet approved the procurement and implementation of a regeneration ‘masterplan’ exercise with the local community and stakeholders, the delivery of which was overseen by a council steering group.
However, concerns have been raised about the progress of the council’s commitments in Eastfield.
In January, the Scarborough and Whitby Conservative Association stated: “Of the £1.2m allocated to regenerating Eastfield by the previous Conservative administration, as of October 2022 the Labour-led Scarborough Borough Council has spent a total of £137,000 or to put it plainly in over 75 per cent of the time allotted they have managed to deliver just 11 per cent of the funding promised.”
The council report states that the authority is helping to develop “a ‘CommonUnity Bases’ programme with the aim of supporting at least three community-managed facilities towards financial and operational sustainability”.
The report adds: “The Community Support Package provides a sum of £270,000 to support the development of this programme.”