Funding totalling £300,000 will be handed to community groups across Watford, the borough council’s cabinet has agreed.
The council’s Neighbourhood Grant programme allows groups in the town to apply for a portion of its Community Infrastructure Levy pot. The pot is paid into by developers who build in the area, as a way to help fund infrastructure in Watford.
At a meeting on Monday (December 1), the council’s cabinet signed off on grants, including:
- £46,960 towards installing floodlights at Radlett Road Playing Fields
- £40,000 to install heat pumps at Kingsway Junior School’s newly-refurbished swimming pool
- £40,000 towards a second building at Random Café
- £30,000 towards creating an accessible viewing area overlooking the wetlands at Cassiobury Park
- £25,000 towards new accessible play equipment at Goodwood Park
- £20,740 to replace the lighting at Dolphina Gymnastics Centre
- £20,000 towards a new patio area at Watford Rugby Club
- £19,020 towards a disability ramp at Herts Bowling Club
Grants were also awarded to Mediation Herts, St Mary’s Church, KEL Gospel Ministries, Live and Learn Club, West Herts ABC & Educational Support, Home-Start Watford & Three Rivers, Watford Sheltered Workshop, West Herts Sports Club, Rifco Theatre Company, Sustainable South West Herts and Grand Union Community Energy.
Peter Taylor (LD), the elected mayor of Watford, praised the “geographic” spread of groups that will receive the funding, as well as the “different types” of organisations that will receive the money.
He said: “It’s a way of making sure that when there is development in the town, and that [when] we receive funding from developers that it really benefits grassroots community groups.”
Cllr Ian Stotesbury (LD) added: “There were a few groups on this list … who didn’t make the cut last year, but we worked with them to make sure they could apply for something that would meet the criteria. That just shows that there’s real engagement with the community on this.”
The funding was also welcomed by Cllr Nigel Bell, leader of the opposition Labour group, who emphasised the importance of “following up” on how the funding is spent.
All grant awardees will have to provide quarterly monitoring reports while they complete their projects, and submit copies of invoices for the work completed.
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