Many Peterborough councillors plan to use community money to help fund laptops for schools campaign

Each year all city councillors are given a Community Leadership Fund (CLF) of £1,000, which is normally spent on improvements in their wards.

The deadline for applications to spend the money is tomorrow (February 12) -and as of February 2 22 councillors had no money allocated.

However, when the Peterborough Telegraph contacted the councillors, many said they planned to support the laptops for schools campaign to help youngsters working from home during the pandemic,

This is in addition to funding of £300,000 which the Council’s Cabinet has committed from its capital programme budget to ensure that children and young people across the city can continue their education whilst at home.

Some other councillors used the money on projects in their own wards, such as improving grass verges where drivers have parked cars on them - and some split the money between a number of schemes, including the laptops one.

As of the end of February 2, just over 44 per cent of the funding had been allocated.

Last year more than 92 per cent of the money was spent by councillors - the highest rate since 2016/17 when the figure stood at just 62 per cent.

The CLF scheme has come in for criticism in the past, and cllr Nick Sandford, ward councillor for Paston and Walton and leader of the Liberal Democrats on the council - and one councillor who had all his money allocated by February 3 - said he thinks the system should be changed.

He said: “Mine is being spent on planting trees on grass verges to protect them from being ploughed up by parked cars. It is a scheme we have been running in Walton for several years as verge parking is a big local issue.

“I am in favour of councillors having a say on how money is spent in their wards but I am not sure CLF is the best way as the criteria are quite restrictive and the scheme is not well promoted by the Council.

“I would rather see more urban parish councils set up or area committees with significant budgets delegated to them.”

Cllr Julie Howell, Orton Waterville ward councillor and leader of the Green Party on the council had seen £930 of the £1,000 spent by February 3.

Cllr Howell said her money had been spent on a number of schemes, including a contribution towards the cost of portable floodlights for Parkside Athletic FC, a contribution towards the cost of a bike store for Orton Wistow Primary School, a litter bin for Dunblane Drive, Orton Southgate, a dog bin for Riseholme, Orton Goldhay and a contribution to the city council’s Laptops for Children scheme.

She said; “CLF gives councillors an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the needs of their communities by committing small amounts of money to capital projects.

“While £1,000 doesn’t go too far these days, with a bit of creative thought we find we are able to divide the money between a number of local projects and made a difference.

“In some wards, councillors pool the money, but what we cannot do is carry over any money to the following municipal year. Many of us think very hard about how to spend the money, and this can mean there’s frenzy during February as we all rush to make sure we’ve spent every penny of the allocation.

“We see it as part of our duty to spend this money responsibly and can’t understand why any councillor might fail to spend their allocation, as we are reminded by the council of the need to do so throughout the year.”

As of February 3 cllr John Holdich, leader of Peterborough City Council and the Conservative group on the council and ward councillor for Glinton and Castor had not had any money allocated, but said the money from his ward - which also includes cllr Peter Hiller - would be spent on the laptops for schools scheme.

Cllr Shaz Nawaz, leader of the Labour group on the council and Park Ward councillor, had only had £30 allocated by February 3 - but he said the money would be spent come the deadline.

He said; “I have spoken to a number of organisations who could bend it from the CLF monies. A few have come back to say they don’t need anything right now. I am waiting to hear from a few more.

“I always use my allocation of the CLF to support like local organisations. This year will be no different as I’ll make sure all claims are submitted before the deadline.”

Sadly two of the 60 councillors have passed away this year.

Cllr Janet Goodwin, who died last month had all her money allocated, while a council spokeswoman said: “It has been agreed that Cllr Louise Coles’ allocation will be awarded posthumously.” Cllr Louise Coles passed away in April last year.

For more information about the Community Leadership Fund, visit https://www.peterborough.gov.uk/council/councillors/community-leadership-fund