That the Cabinet Member:

a)     Approves the commencement of the new Herefordshire Councillor ward grant scheme which provides each individual ward member with their own personal budget (of £1000),  and

b)     Provides delegation to all members to commit spend of up to £1000 to allocate to community groups and projects within their Ward area in alignment to the priorities of the Council Plan and in accordance with the grant scheme (set out at Appendix a).

1.               To not take forward this new initiative.  This is not recommended.  The Corporate Services budget, which was agreed by full Council, included an allocation of £1,000 per Ward Member to allocate to community groups and projects within their Ward area in 2026/27 to align to the priorities of the Council Plan. 

The purpose of the Herefordshire Council Ward Member Grant Fund is to enable all ward members to allocate funds to facilitate small scale projects and activities in their respective wards.  This is designed to facilitate closer involvement in local initiatives being led by their communities. A key principle behind this initiative is to encourage more localised participation in delivering the council’s strategic priorities.