SOUTH West Surrey Council for Voluntary Service (SWSCVS) is set to be the latest beneficiary of Waverley's Community Partnership Fund after a grant of £10,000 was supported by Waverley's executive committee. The £10,000 grant will help the service's work in the current financial year to support and strengthen the voluntary sector in Waverley. The Community Partnership Fund is a pot of money set aside by the council for local community and voluntary organisations to apply for that supports their projects or capital costs. It gives local organisations a chance to apply for funds which they could then use as leverage to apply for more funding from other grant giving bodies. The original fund is now running low, prompting councillors to review whether to add more money to the pot to allow the fund to continue. Mike Band, Waverley's portfolio holder for finance, said: "The fund has been successful so far in enabling organisations to use relatively small amounts of money from Waverley as leverage to get more money from other sources. "However, there's substantial pressure on the public purse in Waverley and, as council members, we need to look at the best way of setting priorities for our spending, given the budgetary pressures." He continued: "We've asked officers to carry out a review of the Community Partnership Fund to see whether putting extra money in the pot for the fund is the best way of providing value for money or whether there are better ways of supporting groups in the community." The fund was set up in 1988 when the council ear- marked £1.5 million. In 2007/8 £300,000 was made available for local charities and other groups to apply to. It still has £48,000 available to allocate via its main grant scheme and £40,000 for small grants in 2007/8. Local community organisations wanting more information should visit Waverley's website, http://www.waverley.gov.uk/grants">www.waverley.gov.uk/grants or call Jane Todd on 01483 523067.
