COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP FUND

Is there a community asset at risk in your community?

Is a building or land of value to your community at risk of being closed or lost?

The Community Ownership Fund exists to help communities across the UK take ownership of assets at risk of closure - from parks to pubs, lidos to libraries.

The fund is available until March 2025, and you can apply for up to £250,000 towards buying or leasing a local asset or helping to pay for renovation work on it.

Who is the funding for?

An incorporated voluntary and community organization or community or town council can apply. This may include charitable incorporated organisations, co-operatives including community benefit societies or not-for-profit companies limited by guarantee.

What is a community asset?

A community asset can be any building or land used for the welfare or social interest of the local community, including green spaces, libraries, cultural spaces, leisure facilities, community centres, pubs and more. The asset must be at risk of closure, being sold or in poor condition without community involvement, and must continue to be of community benefit in the future.

The funding available.

Up to £250,000 can be applied for to buy or lease an asset and pay for renovation costs. In exceptional cases, up to £2m is available from the Community Ownership Fund for all types of assets where the asset is at risk of being lost. An applicant must contribute 20% of 'matching' funding towards the total capital required - sources can include grants, loans and non-cash sources (in kind).

The Community Ownership Fund is offered by the Department of Community Prosperity, Housing and Communities and provided by 10 organisations in the UK, led in Wales by DTA Wales. To make enquiries, find out more or join an informational webinar, visit https://dtawales.org.uk/en/

Make your inquiries and your application via: Community Ownership Fund support and advice - MyCommunity

To register for the webinar in Welsh - on how to apply for the money - it's at 2pm on the 14th of September register here: https://mycommunity.org.uk/how-to-write-a-strong-community -ownership-fund-application-webinar

The webinar in English is on Monday 11^th September between 12 -2. The link is below

How to write a strong community ownership fund application (building your management case) - MyCommunity

The form for the English webinar

Event Booking Form (tfaforms.net)

Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council are consulting on our Strategic Equality Plan for 2024-2028 and need your input and views to shape and inform the new objectives.

Building upon the Strategic Equality Plan 2020-2024, MTCBC aim to improve equal opportunities within the community and in service delivery, employment, commissioning, leadership and working in partnership.

The themes and objectives from the 2020-2024 plan are still important, and MTCBC are asking whether anything else needs to be included.

To have your say and have more information regarding the Equality Plan please see below.

For the generic survey and for further info please see this link Consultation for our Strategic Equality Plan 2024-2028 | Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council

And for the online survey click here https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/SEP2428/

The closing date for the consultation is 30^th October 2023.

Are you interested in being a Voluntary Sector representative at Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Councils Scrutiny Committees?

Be vocal and help make a difference... Become a Co-opted Member on one of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council's Scrutiny Committees.

Scrutiny is an umbrella term covering a wide range of roles with key legislative responsibility for:

• Holding the Cabinet to account
• Policy Review and Development
• Reviewing and scrutinising the performance of the Council and help drive improvements in services.
• External scrutiny

Overview and Scrutiny Committees help ensure local public services are delivered effectively and efficiently and have wide ranging powers to investigate areas of local interest.

Scrutiny can question decision takers, call in expert witnesses or hear evidence from other local stakeholders.  Investigations are not restricted to Council run services, any area of interest to the local community may be investigated by scrutiny.

• The Council has five scrutiny committees:
• Corporate Support and Resources
• Neighbourhood Services, Countryside and Planning Scrutiny Committee
• Learning and LGES (Local Government Education Service) Scrutiny Committee
• Social Services Scrutiny Committee
• Regeneration and Public Protection Scrutiny Committee

There are currently 2 vacancies for Voluntary Sector Co-opted representatives on Social Services and Corporate Support and Resources Committees. 

If you are interested in learning more about the role and responsibilities of Scrutiny Committee members, Voluntary Action Merthyr Tydfil will be holding an awareness session on 29^th September at 10am at VAMT.

To book your place contact karen.vowles@vamt.net

Between 18-24 September, Amgueddfa Cymru will be hosting a range of activities across all our Museums for Adult Learners Week, with:

• opportunities for Welsh learners and those learning English
• drop-in and bookable art and craft taster sessions 
• informal talks and object handling sessions

For more information, visit our page here: Adult Learners Weeks activities at Amgueddfa Cymru-Museum Wales | Museum Wales