There is only one month left for local community groups to get their applications in for the People Power Fund.
The current round of funding opened on 1 August and will remain open until 14 September for local community groups with ideas to make their areas safer.
As part of his commitment to local communities, Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis is providing £500,000 in 2016/17 through the fund in the form of grants of between £100 and £3,000.
The fund supports local community safety activities across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. These could include providing activities for young people to help reduce anti-social behaviour, mentoring programmes through to activities that reassure and improve the quality of life in local areas.
In the last two years over 200 local projects across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent have received People Power Funding.
Projects in Staffordshire that have benefited include:
- Rugeley Community Boxing Club who received £3,000 for new training equipment to help them accommodate and engage more young people, keeping them active and off the streets and giving them a safer environment to train in. Head Coach Ian Lear said: “The People Power Fund has helped the club to increase its membership numbers. The money was spent on new equipment which was much needed in the club and it paid for all coaches to pass their first aid and child protection course, making the boxing club a safe place for young people to train.”
- Konnektiv Arts who received £2,900 to provide community activities at the Doxey Hub to increase community cohesion. They also provide an arts class for local people to offer positive experiences and for somewhere to go.
- Bilbrook Parish Council allotment has been awarded funding to upgrade fencing around the allotment. The allotments have previously suffered break-ins and the funding will help to prevent damage and theft, benefitting the 23 plot holders.
Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis said: “I have significantly increased the funding that local areas in Staffordshire have to make their communities safer.
“The Commissioner’s People Power Fund puts half a million pounds back into local communities and is easy and simple to apply for. It’s about local ideas to sort out local issues like anti-social behaviour. If you’ve got a good idea, the People Power Fund may be able to help you achieve it.
“If you’re a community group with good ideas to cut crime or make your area safer go to the website now to find out more.”
People Power applications need to be sponsored by the group’s Neighbourhood Police Officer or PCSO and will initially be assessed by the local Community Safety Partnership.
The People Power Fund is one part of the Commissioner’s Community Funding for 2016/17.
The Commissioner’s Proceeds of Crime Fund is seeing 100 per cent of funding received by Staffordshire Police going back into local communities, through grants of between £3,000 and £15,000. It is made up of money seized from criminals as Staffordshire Police continue to strip offenders of their assets. Partner agencies involved in community safety locally can apply individually or in collaboration.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner’s Locality Deal Fund has allocated money to local areas through working in partnership with local district and borough councils. Successful projects in all three funding streams are delivering what’s important to local people based on the four priorities set out in the Commissioner’s Safer, Fairer, United Communities Strategy – tackling the root causes of crime through early intervention, supporting victims and witnesses better, reducing reoffending and increasing public confidence.
More details, including application forms and animated videos about the funds, are available at www.staffordshire-pcc.gov.uk/fund
