Issue - meetings

To enable the Cabinet to consider not charging rents for community groups eligible for or within the Community Assets Rent Offsetting Scheme (CAROS) for one year; including deferring the effect of any rent rises due to rent reviews or lease renewals in order to support them re-opening and starting to operate again.

RESOLVED that Cabinet approves –

(a)    that rents due from Clubs and Groups that are part of, or eligible to be part of, the CAROS scheme be written off for the 12 month period from the 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022; and

(b)    that implementation of any additional rent for such properties that becomes due in line with the completion of a rent review, or lease renewal, during, or in respect of, the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 be deferred until 31 March 2022.

Cabinet had before it a report of the Corporate Finance & Governance Portfolio Holder (A.5) which enabled it to consider not charging rents for community groups eligible for, or within, the Community Assets Rent Offsetting Scheme (CAROS) for one year; including deferring the effect of any rent rises due to rent reviews or lease renewals in order to support them re-opening and starting to operate again.

Members were aware that community based groups and clubs had been forced to close during the pandemic, with many closed for over a year or their premises used for other purposes like covid-19 testing centres, meaning that their income had been significantly reduced.  Most were now beginning to re-open, but had had to change the way they operated; order more equipment to keep their users safe; and limit the numbers that could attend events, all of which had impacted on their finances.

Cabinet was also aware that, as part of this Council’s (TDC) Back to Business Strategy, providing assistance to those groups in order for them to get up and running again safely, would have a positive impact on many sectors of the community across the whole District.  Over the past 2 years, people had been isolated from their communities, family, friends and social groups and by supporting already established community activities to get back on their feet safely, TDC would help its residents to re-connect with their local communities and support networks.

The Portfolio Holder was therefore proposing that rent for the financial year 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 was subsidised for all CAROS eligible groups in order for the money to be used to support their previous members returning and in gaining new members. In addition, any rent reviews or leases renewals that were due for CAROS eligible groups during this period would be suspended until 31 March 2022, meaning the rent would not increase for the initial 12 month period in order to provide an opportunity for those groups to re-establish themselves.

Having considered the Portfolio Holder’s report and the proposals contained therein:-

It was moved by Councillor G V Guglielmi, seconded by Councillor McWilliamsand:-

RESOLVED that Cabinet approves –

(a)    that rents due from Clubs and Groups that are part of, or eligible to be part of, the CAROS scheme be written off for the 12 month period from the 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022; and

(b)    that implementation of any additional rent for such properties that becomes due in line with the completion of a rent review, or lease renewal, during, or in respect of, the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 be deferred until 31 March 2022.