Ward Improvement Fund

Liberal Democrat Proposals to set up a fund to enable Local Ward Councillors to support local improvement projects, down but NOT out!

"Like most of the best ideas the Ward Improvement Fund is a simple idea." Said Liberal Democrat Group Leader Michael Headley "Simply take savings out of last year's budget and divide them up evenly between all 53 ward councillors. It is then up to the councillors to decide which projects they want to fund to best meet local needs. This is what residents elect councillors to get done, but too often they are blocked the Council's corporate budget constraints."

The Ward Improvement Fund was suggested as a use for General Fund Outrun and released reserves by Cllr Headley during Wednesday's Executive Committee meeting. In a close vote only Labour opposed the idea and had to use their Leader's casting vote to defeat the initiative. But the plan gained enough support for a detailed report to be requested in time for the Executive Committee meeting in September.

"The Ward Improvement Fund will allow local councillors, to support the small local projects that never seem to get a look in against the bigger schemes." Continued Cllr Headley "The budget would of course be subject to all of the Council's usual probity and accountancy rules. But If they choose to, councillors could use it to kick start or boost a local public collection, divide it up into smaller parcels and distribute as grants to local bodies or club together with other councillors to support a bigger project. It would be their choice. "

"Labour's objections seemed to come from fear of letting local, non-executive, councillors have any say in their own wards." Concluded Cllr Headley "When the report comes back to the Executive committee again in September I hope they will be able to look past their prejudices and see the benefits the Ward Improvement fund could bring. I am sure that every councillor in Bedford Borough could make good use of this money. £12,000 might not be all that much as far as the Labour Administration is concerned, but I know it could be put to good use in every ward in this borough.