Information relating to $60,000 community grant funding for Year 3 in Long Term Plan.
We have decided to release the information you have requested; - please see our answers below.
Request:
Can you please confirm if the $60,000 community grant funding allocated in Yr 3 of the current LTP is the first year this funding has been made available (now removed). If not, can you please provide the date this community grant funding was established and who has benefited from the funding.
Response:
$61,740,000 was forecast in the Long-Term Plan for the 2025/2026 financial year - this was reduced to $60,000 during the 2025/2026 Annual Plan process. Earlier in the year staff indicated to councillors that they were preparing the process to invite applications for these funds. Councillors asked staff to put this work on hold and so these funds have not been distributed.
$73,612 was forecast in the Long-Term Plan for the 2026/2027 financial year - this was reduced to $60,000 during the early stages of the 2026/2027 Annual Plan process. Councillors subsequently requested that this amount be removed from the draft budget.