Morecambe Town Council confirms it WILL help fund festivals in 2021 after confusion following budget meeting

Morecambe Town Council said it will be liaising with its members this week to consider the timescales and application process for festivals that are planned to take place in 2021.
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A full council meeting on September 3 led some to believe that the town council had stopped funding festivals going forward.

Each year, Morecambe Town Council sets a budget to accommodate all the community initiatives it plans to support.

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In recent years, this budget has included a specific fund to contribute to festivals in Morecambe.

Morecambe Town Hall.Morecambe Town Hall.
Morecambe Town Hall.

However the festivals funding now forms part of a General Grants budget - which has been set at £35,000.

It will be available to any organisation - including festival organisers - to use for the benefit of Morecambe.

Luke Trevaskis, the recently appointed Proper Officer at Morecambe Town Council said: "Morecambe Town Council has expressed continued support for festival organisers and in the first budget of 2020-2021 (approved in February 2020) the council provided for festival expenditure of £30,000.

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"Sadly, due to Covid-19 and guidelines from the government, many festival organisers had to abandon plans and the council has subsequently approved a mid-year revised budget that covers the period up until March 2021.

"The £30,000 that was originally allocated to the festivals has been increased to form a general grants budget of £35,000 - a pot of money that will now be available to any organisation should they be able to make use of it for the benefit of the Morecambe community.

"The council will be setting a new budget in the coming months for the period April 2021 to March 2022 and any such budget for festivals scheduled to take place in the summer of 2021 will be considered at that time."

John O' Neill, manager of Morecambe BID, said: "We welcome the clarification from Morecambe Town Council over the budget issues raised after last week's town council meeting, some of which weren't clear at the time.

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"We would urge the council to make a decision on festival funding sooner rather than later as per previous years when the Festival Committee met in September.

"Festival organisers need a long time to plan and book acts, and financial certainty early on can make the difference between a festival or event running, or not.

"We have always enjoyed a good working relationship with the council over festivals, and all other activities, and look forward to it continuing."

Further details on how to apply for grants will be available on www.morecambe.gov.uk in the coming weeks.

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The mid-year revised budget approved by the Council on September 3 also includes a number of commitments to improve community engagement, help reduce litter, enhance open spaces and backstreets, increase wellbeing, provide a greater provision of arts, create additional green corridors, further the works of Morecambe in Bloom, progress work on a neighbourhood plan, and implement additional CCTV coverage to tackle anti-social behaviour.

Mr Trevaskis added: "This is all in addition to the commitment within an earmarked reserve to support an initiative to illuminate the promenade (from Battery Car Park to The Midland Hotel).

"It is hoped this budget will provide as many positive outcomes as possible for the community of Morecambe and members of the public are encouraged to read upcoming agendas and minutes of the Council to see the progress being made."

The full list of funding allocation for Morecambe Town Council is here:

Salaries + Staff Expenses £32,542

Office Equipment / Consumables £1,500

Administration / Legal Costs £1,500

Office Rent £4,000

Local Council Award Scheme £500

Insurance £500

Audit £3,838

Lengthsman £23,556

Enforcement Officer £23,556

Training £1,000

Communications £2,500

Litter Campaign £3,000

Grant Fund £35,000

Community Engagement £10,000

Open Space Equipment £15,000

Alley Champions Project £5,000

Parks / Open Spaces Assets £5,000

Green Corridor £5,000

Arts Projects £5,000

Morecambe in Bloom £5,000

Outdoor Gym Project £12,000

CCTV £10,000

Neighbourhood Plan £5,000

General Reserves £73,883

Promenade Lighting Reserve £10,000

Further details about the projects:

Communications

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Whilst the Council has attracted some press coverage in recent months, there does not appear to be many positive news stories featuring the projects and positive actions being taken by the authority. This sum will help promote the activities of the Council across platforms such as social media, radio, e-blasts, press outlets, text messages and marketing platforms.

Litter Campaign

In a meeting of the Council held on 6 August 2020, it was resolved to incur expenditure of this amount to procure posters, litter pickers, hi vis jackets and leaflets to assist in tackling litter. Decisions regarding this sum were delegated to the Proper Officer (in consultation with a member)

Grant Fund

It is understood, in light of Covid-19, and other depravation indicators, that Morecambe would benefit from the continuation of a grant fund.

Community Engagement

A proposal for a committee to generate project ideas for the Council has been suggested. As a precursor to this, it is important for the Council to gather a strong and reliable source of evidence in which to assist it to move on motions that are in the best interest of the community. This budget line has been created to enable research to be undertaken into what residents and tourists believe 11 should be improved in the area, and this sum gives rise to any expenditure that may be incurred in gathering this evidence base, such as door-to-door surveys, engagement with local groups and stakeholders, consideration of a youth council, multi-demographic focus groups, and/or surveys in the public realm to establish the needs of each ward.

Open Space Equipment

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Concerns have been raised at the level of litter and weeds in Morecambe. This sum enables the Council to purchase a machine (such as a Glutton industrial vacuum cleaner) to assist in tackling these issues.

Alley Champions Project

This sum is to take into account any expenditure associated with tidying up alleys. More promotion of this initiative is needed and the Council may wish to consider how to engage the community in this scheme by launching a competition to adopt a back alley, whereby residents can nominate their alley to be adopted by the Council and there can be alley guardians to continue to maintain the adopted alley once it has been transformed.

Parks / Open Spaces Assets

It is understood that a number of members would like to se more ownership of parks and open spaces. Suggestions have been put forward to install further benches (with one thanking the local front line workers who have helped to tackle Covid-19), picnic tables, bins (with some possibly sculpted in the shape of a fish to encourage recycling), facilities for pets such as a pet-friendly agility course, and equipment that will engage young people such as outdoor table-tennis tables.

Green Corridor

It is understood that historic photographs of Morecambe exhibit an abundance of trees and some areas have become more barren in recent years. A green corridor can help to offset the carbon footprint of the Council, whilst improving the tree canopy across Morecambe to encourage more wildlife and enhance the street scene.

Arts Projects

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In order to generate interest in open spaces and brighten up some areas of the community that may be tired, this sum will enable artists to be commissioned to create artwork on neglected spaces that can serve as both a local focal point and tourism attraction. This budget line could also be used to engage young people in the community to participate in the arts through educational activities such as graffiti workshops which could take place in a park using large MDF boards or canvasses - helping to nurture talent and generate identity and confidence in young people.

Morecambe in Bloom

It is considered that Morecambe in Bloom has been quite animating for the Council in recent years. This sum aims to build on that positive contribution to help towards increasing tourism and improving the wellbeing of residents.

Outdoor Gym Project

It is considered that there may be suitable locations (such as along the promenade) for some outdoor gym equipment to be installed.

CCTV

It is estimated that this sum would be required for a single installation in an area of choice to assist in tackling fly tipping and anti social behaviour.

Neighbourhood Plan

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This sum is to cover any costs that may arise in relation to the Neighbourhood Plan.

General Reserves

This sum has been set at approximately 25% of annual expenditure - in line with the recommended typical minimum level of general reserves an authority should hold as advised in NALC’s ‘The Good Councillor’s Guide to Finance and Transparency’.

Promenade Lighting Reserve

This sum has been set as an earmarked reserve. In addition to general reserves, the Council may have earmarked reserves for specific projects, where money is allocated for a specific purpose but may not be spent in that financial year. Whilst a project to illuminate the promenade (from Battery car park to The Midland Hotel) may require substantial investment, with a multi-agency approach, this reserve is to show a willingness to work with other stakeholders and set an objective for Morecambe Town Council to work towards. This earmarked reserve can continue to be increased each year until the Council is in a position to deliver this project with third parties (either in part or in its entirety).