Purpose

To consider submission to the
fifth round of Westhive and determine pledge levels for the Council
main Westhive fund.

Decision

That the Chief Executive resolved to;
 
Approve that final determinations as explained
in consultation with the Leader of the Council.
 

Reasons for the decision

In March 2023, the
Executive agreed to commission Spacehive Ltd to create a Westhive ‘movement’ on its civic
crowdfunding platform.  This movement
enables local people to promote ideas for civic projects and to
raise money from local supporters, including the Council. The Round
5 project creators pitch deadline was 17th September
2025. There are currently 13 verified projects actively fundraising
on the Westhive platform. 
 
Please visit
https://www.spacehive.com/movement/westhive/projects to view the
live campaigns.
 

The remaining available budget for Rounds 5 and 6 in
the Council’s main Westhive fund
is £122,627.

 

Criteria states that the maximum amount that can be
awarded from the Council’s main Westhive Fund is £12,000 or 75% of the total
project cost, whichever is the lower amount. This fund can support
capital or revenue projects.
 

When arriving at the recommendations the panel has
sought to prioritise projects based on the following
factors:
·        
Relevance to Council aims.
·        
Benefit of the project.
·        
Number of pledges.
·        
Relation to other projects.
·        
Value for money/potential impact.
 

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

Project
creator

Revenue &/or
Capital

Score
(50 max)

Project total
target

Pledges –
Number / Value

Funds raised
at
23-10-25

Officer
recommend Westhive

Be Free Young
Carers

 
 
REV

45

£54,516

 
 
4

£38,290

£10,000

Against the Grain
CIC

 
 
CAP

35

£27,130

 
 
8

£215

£5,000

Soldiers of
Oxfordshire 

REV

25

£22,137

 
 
5

£500

£5,000

Charlbury
Pre-School

CAP

30

£6,753

 
 
8

£1,930

£1,700

The Dorcas Dress
Project

REV

50

£9,606

 
 
10

£1,372

£7,205

First & Last
Mile CIC 

CAP

35

£28,261

 
 
 
7

£580

DEFER pending
outcome of OCC school transport appeal

Witney and West
Oxfordshire Foodbank 

CAP

35

£45,218

 
 
0

£0

£5,000

Tackley Village Memorial Hall 

CAP

40

£19,125

 
 
1

£1,875

£8,000

 
Churchill &
Sarsden Village Hall

CAP

45

£21,993

 
 
14

£270

£10,000

Empowering Children
Through the Arts

CAP/REV

50

£51,261

 
 
10

£23,180

£12,000

It's about Bloody
Time

REV

30

£16,495

 
 
 
 
1

£5

£4,124
conditional on officers being satisfied that the project will meet
need

 
Courtside Hubs
CIC

CAP

DEFER

£21,219

 
 
0

£0

DEFER pending
further discussion with officers

Over Norton Parish
Council

CAP

DEFER/
DECLINE

£17,226

 
1

£9,000

DECLINE

TOTAL

 

 

£340,940

 

£77,052

£68,029

 
 
 

Alternative options considered

The Chief Executive could decide not to fund
at the levels recommended above and instead refer the matter for
further consultation with the Executive. This would necessitate a
further review group meeting and delay determinations.