Purpose

This report presents an amendment to the conditions attached to Shopmobility Fareham’s award from the Community Fund.

Shopmobility Fareham is a charitable service that provides mobility scooters, electric and manual wheelchairs to people with limited mobility living within or visiting the Borough of Fareham. 

On 23 May 2023, the Executive Member for Leisure and Community considered and approved a request from this organisation for £6,646.98 from the Community Fund for the costs associated with the service’s relocation from Osborn Road Multi-Storey Car Park to a vacant unit within Fareham Shopping Centre. 

Three conditions were attached to the award, following consultation with Fareham Shopmobility:

1. That a signed lease for the Shopping Centre Unit is provided prior to the transfer of funding

1. That the relocation is completed prior to the close of June 2023

1. That the Fareham Shopmobility unit in the Shopping Centre will also be used to promote volunteering opportunities for Fareham based charities

Despite Fareham Shopmobility being confident that the conditions of the award were appropriate and achievable, since the award was approved their Legal Team has raised some minor challenges with the Shopping Centre regarding the details of the draft Lease.  This has resulted in a delay to the Lease being signed and consequently the schedule for relocation.  As a result, Fareham Shopmobility is not able to meet the deadline imposed by the Community Funding award of the close of June 2023.

Fareham Shopmobility is confident that the Lease will be finalised and signed imminently, enabling a relocation of the service prior to the close of July 2023.

Decision

RESOLVED that the conditions of the Community Funding award are revised to reflect this unforeseen change in schedule, as follows:

a)    a signed lease for the Shopping Centre Unit is provided prior to the transfer of funding;

b)    the relocation is completed prior to the close of July 2023;

c)    the Fareham Shopmobility unit in the Shopping Centre will also be used to promote volunteering opportunities for Fareham based charities; and

d)    the decision on any further revision to these conditions will be delegated to the Director of Leisure and Community following consultation with the Executive Member for Leisure and Community.