There are less than two days left to participate in an online Community Voting Survey which will determine which of a range of community proposals in the Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Northern Corridor area receive public funding.
Local citizens have been responding in their droves in recent weeks, with almost 1,500 people casting votes so far to help decide which of 27 community and voluntary sector organisations operating in Greater Cumbernauld receive between £750 and £1,000 to deliver specified community projects to benefit the area.
The Survey, which can be accessed by clicking here, closes on Wednesday 6 January 2021 at 12noon, and your contribution could make all the difference as the voting is currently very close between several of the proposals as the race enters its final lap. Indeed, your vote could be the key factor on whether a proposal ultimately receives funding or whether one misses out.
Those living in Greater Cumbernauld and others with an interest in the wider Cumbernauld community are asked to participate in the online Survey, which will take no longer than 5-10 minutes to complete. Respondents are invited to select the three proposals they believe to be most worthy of being funded.
The organisations which have submitted proposals for voting are (in alphabetical order) Abronhill Regeneration Forum, ADFraming, Bethlehem House of Bread Food Bank, CACE Older People Active Lives, Christians Against Poverty (CAP), Chryston Community Council, Clyde FC Community Foundation, Cornerstone Christian Fellowship, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth Care, Cumbernauld Colts Community FC, Cumbernauld Community Forum, Cumbernauld FM, Cumbernauld Poverty Action, Cumbernauld Resilience Group, Cumbernauld Together, North Area Crime Prevention Panel, North Lanarkshire Women’s Aid, Northern Corridor Community Volunteers, One Parent Families Scotland (North Lanarkshire Service), Palacerigg Community Farm, PALS (Play and Learning Support), Partners In Play, Police Scotland Youth Volunteers Cumbernauld, SBH Scotland (Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland), St Lucy’s Youth Zone, Tool Library Cumbernauld and Watch Us Grow.
It is anticipated that funding will be awarded to around half of all proposals (the most-voted-for ones), with the exact number of organisations receiving grants depending on the monetary value of the top ranked proposals.
This Participatory Budgeting (PB) activity forms part of Cumbernauld CAN (Community Anchor Network), a Scottish Government-supported project introduced by Cornerstone House Centre in 2020 which aims to develop the connected capacity of the Greater Cumbernauld community. Over a three-year period, the project is striving to enable Cumbernauld residents and organisations to work together to become better at responding to local needs, built on the theme of community empowerment.
The funds being distributed are from Small Grants PB Fund Round 2, a small grants programme which was announced as part of Cumbernauld CAN in November 2020. Through Small Grants PB Fund Round 2, community-led voluntary groups benefiting the local area were invited to bid for a small grant of between £100 and £1,000 under the PB model. This was open to charities, SCIOs, unincorporated associations and any other not-for-profit group.
Last year, over 1,000 votes resulted in 11 community groups receiving funding and initiating a range of successful projects through Small Grants PB Fund Round 1. Activities funded then included establishment of a new weekly running event in Cumbernauld, continuation of a ‘Sheila Shed’ group for older women in the local area, facilitation of outings for children with additional support needs and teaching repair skills to Cumbernauld citizens.
If your organisation operates within Greater Cumbernauld but has missed out an applying for funding through Small Grants PB Fund Round 2, the good news is that plans are afoot for Cornerstone House Centre to release a third round of PB funding in early 2021.
Originally, the project had intended for funding allocation to be decided through in-person Community Voting Events, however this has not been possible in Rounds 1 and 2 in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
An online Community Voting Survey was considered as a fair alternative way for members of the public to have the opportunity to cast their vote, also ensuring that applicant organisations do not have to wait many more months for a decision.
If you would like further information or have an enquiry in relation to the Community Voting process or Cumbernauld CAN project, please telephone Cornerstone House Centre on 07940 569527 or email events@cornerstone-house.org.uk.
Click Here to Complete the Community Voting Survey for Small Grants PB Fund Round 2
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Why not circulate the Community Voting Survey link (www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CumbernauldCommunityVoting) so friends and family members can complete it? After all, the more people that vote for your favourite proposals, the better the chance they have of being funded. Remember that each individual is only allowed to complete the Survey once.
Be fast however, as Survey votes cannot be submitted after 12noon on Wednesday 6 January 2021. Final Survey results and details of which proposals have been awarded funding will be published later this month.