Citylife in Lichfield September 2023

City VIEW
The Newsletter of Lichfield City Council - September 2023
Remembrance Sunday
On Sunday 12 November the Remembrance service and wreath laying
ceremony will once again take place. The Civic party will process from the
Guildhall to the Cathedral for the 10.00am service, followed by the wreath
laying ceremony in the Gardens of Remembrance at 11.00am and to
observe the National two minutes silence.
Councillor Dave Robertson Leader of the Council
Welcome to this issue of City View
Connecting with the community in Lichfield is one of the central
missions of the new City Council. The process of moving from being a
Council focused on the Mayor and Sheriff and towards one which
works for the whole community is well underway.
The Council supported Lichfield’s first ever Pride march this June and
proudly flew a rainbow flag over the Guildhall for the weekend
celebration. But simply saying “we are here” can never be everything
that we do and the people who call Lichfield home can rightly expect
us to act on the issues that matter to them.
We’ve wasted no time in taking action to support our friends,
neighbours, and relatives through the cost-of-living crisis, providing
more leisure activities, especially for young people and doing our bit to
act on the climate crisis.
As the school holidays began, we acted to free up thousands of pounds
of additional grant funding for community groups to offer free activities
for young people in the City over the six weeks’ break that will support
over 100 days of free sports coaching and an event to support young
people maintaining their bikes.
We have also brought Lichfield ‘Back to School Bank’ in house at the
Council, offering administrative support and additional resourcing to
support the scheme which recycles good quality used uniform to new
homes for free, helping us to not only reduce the waste sent to landfill,
but also offers parents a cost-free alternative to school uniform bills as
the new school term approaches. Yet again, the support from the
community has been astounding with hundreds upon hundreds of
items already donated and more coming in every day. To all those who
have been able to donate, thank you.
We’ve been busy in the Council chamber too, giving permission to a
community group to install solar panels on one of our buildings and
setting up a new climate change and biodiversity committee which will
work alongside our community to reduce the impact we have on the
planet.
We have also provided funds for improvements at Lichfield Sport Club
which will enable more people to access their facilities and take part in
the clubs that call the venue
home.
Finally, it has been a pleasure to
see the City Council’s foxglove
tree in Remembrance Gardens
nominated as one of the finalists
in the “Tree of the Year”
competition run by the
Woodland trust, if you’d like to
vote for our tree, you can do so at
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/britishtrees/tree-of-the-year/
36
Grant Applications Now Open
At the Annual Council meeting of 15 May 2023, it was resolved that the Neighbourhood Plan
Implementation Working Party and pre-existing Grants Advisory Committee be merged, as both
address the giving of grants, though from fundamentally different sources.
Clubs, societies, and voluntary groups in the City of Lichfield are now invited to apply to the City
Council for a grant from the Council’s 2024/2025 budget.
To be eligible, organisations applying MUST operate for the benefit of people living within the
boundary of the City of Lichfield. Particular weight will be given to those applications for
projects/activities where funding can be awarded via the appropriate legislation and demonstrate
one or more of the following community benefits (listed in no particular order)
• Address issues around the cost-of-living crisis.
• Tackle climate change and support actions towards achieving net zero.
• Promote inclusivity across the City (e.g., benefit disadvantaged and marginalised groups).
• Support and meet the needs of young people.
Organisations helped in the past have included youth groups, sports clubs, arts groups,
charitable bodies, and various other societies. Grants totalling over £23,000 were awarded in
the current year and ranged from £96 to £5,500, with 21 different groups receiving funding.
Grants provided by the Council can support an organisation’s general funding or, in particular,
provide help with some special project. The City Council would like to help as many
organisations as possible through this programme. The Council is particularly keen to receive
applications from organisations which have not previously applied.
Grant forms are available from
City Council Office, Donegal House, Bore Street, Lichfield, WS13 6LU.
Tel (01543) 309858 or email administration@lichfield.gov.uk,
and on the Council’s website at www.lichfield.gov.uk
Completed forms must be returned by 5 JANUARY 2024
ALLOCATION OF RESERVES
TO SUPPORT SUMMER
PROJECTS
Lichfield City Council has allocated £10,000 of its Grants Reserve towards provision of summer
activities for children and families.
In light of the cost-of-living crisis such grant provision will facilitate and expand events providing
parents and families with an increased choice of free and low-cost activities during the school
summer holidays.
Applications are still open, and applicants can apply for a maximum of £2,000. However ,
consideration will be given to requests for higher amounts from community organisations who
are seeking to provide additional staffing resources to support a co – ordinated effort with other
partner organisations or authorities.
Anyone interested should request an application form by emailing
administration@lichfield.gov.uk. Or collect from the City Council Offices, Donegal House,
Bore Street. Lichfield WS13 6LU