Full house at Big Community Offer event
More than 155 representatives from across Gloucestershire attended a meeting to find out more about Gloucestershire County Council’s Big Community Offer.
The event, which was held at Gloucester’s Hucclecote Centre, was fully booked with people from voluntary and community groups, parish and town councils and social enterprises, who are interested in the plans.
The meeting heard from Council Leader, Mark Hawthorne and Mark Parker, lead officer for the Big Community Offer project and people were invited to register their interest in the opportunities available.
The scheme, announced last month, will see local people take over the running of community facilities and services like libraries and youth centres as part of an overhaul of public services.
There are currently 24 buildings – 12 library and 12 youth centres – available to communities across Gloucestershire in a bid to make services more local.
At the meeting we received more than 20 expressions of interest and there are still more still to collate.
These range from groups looking to purchase land for grazing, for use as allotments to using buildings for library and youth centre merges and social care including respite.
Mark Parker said: “We were surprised and very pleased by the level of enthusiasm and interest expressed by community groups towards the Big Community Offer.
“This seminar is the very start of conversations and between now and February we hope community groups who have expressed an interest will develop their proposals further.
“Any groups who could not attend the event can find out more and express their interest at www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/bigcommunityoffer.”
To help support groups take on available community transfer buildings the offer includes attractive peppercorn rents.
People can also apply for a grant of up to 50% of the sale from a building available for transfer to invest in an existing community building.
Further support includes match funded maintenance grants for upkeep of buildings and the Supporting Active Communities Grant – money which will enable communities to get their ideas off the ground.
The seminar also included support and signposting on grants, funding, insurance and volunteering.
Any community groups interested in the Big Community Offer can find out more information at www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/bigcommunityoffer or via email bigcommunityoffer@gloucestershire.gov.uk.