Question in the name of Cllr David Clarke:

"Funding for a wide range of Organisations and Community Groups throughout our Borough are very important and I am very supportive of this taking place. However, to ensure good governance, what procedures and safeguards are in place to ensure that only organisations and Community Groups within Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area benefit from grants and ratepayer money?"

“The Community Grants Scheme has operated since the inception of Mid & East Antrim Borough Council in April 2015 and through this scheme, Council has successfully managed over 4,000 applications to community groups and sports clubs undertaking various voluntary activities throughout the Borough.

The scheme operates on a basis of openness and transparency with appropriate audit tested governance to provide assurance that Council funding is managed fairly, within M&EABC remit and with the aim of benefitting all citizens of Mid & East Antrim.

Each of the 400+ annual applications undergo various levels of assessment, approval and monitoring in line with long established Council procedures and awards are made on the merit of the individual application.

To help ensure that the benefits of Council funding remain within the Borough, only groups who demonstrate they are based within the Borough are eligible to apply.  The exception to this however is for groups based outside the Borough that are hosting events within Mid & East Antrim and can provide a clear and direct benefit to MEA citizens.

Through on-going feedback from the community, Elected Members, Senior Management and other stakeholders as well as to ensure the scheme continues to align with M&EABC strategic objectives the criteria, documentation and procedures are continually reviewed throughout the financial year and a full review is undertaken annually with enhancements/amendments implemented as required.”

“Council was made aware of a potentially dangerous structure at Prospect House on Sunday evening the 22 December 2024.   The matter was referred to the Council's Building Control Team who attended site on Monday 23 December 2024 and liaised with the Council Facilities Team to have the area cordoned off.   Contact with the owner was made via a local estate agent who confirmed that the owner was arranging for the site to be made safe.

In relation to an Article 66 notice served under the Pollution Control and Local Government (NI) Order 1978 if threshold for action is met, then an Article 66 notice requires the owner of the property to repair or restore or demolish the building. 

Prospect House is a listed building and previous enquiries with the Historic Environment Division of Department of Communities advised that the owner would be committing an offence by demolishing a listed building and this is the considered policy across the province. 

Previous legal opinion stated that an Article 66 Notice must give the option of demolition and therefore it is not appropriate for cases involving listed buildings.”

“The Council is developing a programme of activities to commemorate VE and VJ Days and other wartime anniversaries which proposes events in Ballymena, Larne and Carrickfergus and will include the marking of the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, the 85th anniversary of Dunkirk, the 80th anniversary of the departure of the Belgian army from Northern Ireland, the 60th anniversary of the death of Winston Churchill as well as the 75th anniversary of the start of the Korean War.

It is proposed to re-prioritise the proposed annual Civic Event budget for next year to be able to fund these activities.

An update on this will be brought to the Events Sub-Committee in Jan 2025.”

"Officers will write to DfI to ask about the status of their work programme for Mid & East Antrim."