Grant Making Trust is the public’s choice
Consultation responses following the recent survey with people in Louth over the disposal of the former swimming pool site have now been analysed by the District Council, as Trustee to the Louth Swimming Pool charity.
65% of local people who responded to the consultation, which ran for two weeks in the the Louth Leader and Louth Target Newspapers and online, supported the opportunity to form a Grant Making Trust with the proceeds from the sale of the site. Louth Town Council also supported this option.
Once the sale of the site is agreed, the formation of a Grant Making Trust is the recommendation that will be presented to East Lindsey District Council by Councillor Adam Grist, the Portfolio Holder for Leisure, for formal approval.
The Charities Commission instructed the District Council, as Trustees, to explore three options before making a decision in consultation with the community on the disposal of the former Pool at Riverhead in the town.
Before going out to consultation, the District Council needed to find out which of the three options a) direct transfer to a group with similar charitable objectives b) share of the proceeds from the sale c) formation of a Grant Making Trust, were feasible. The Grant Making Trust option was always on the table but of the other two there was a need to ensure there were groups that fitted the criteria to make them feasible options. This was done through expressions of interest. As no group fitted the criteria for a direct transfer and there had been a number of expressions of interest in a share of the proceeds that were eligible two options were put to the public consultation – share of proceeds from the sale and the formation of Grant Making Trust.
The recommendation by the community to support the Grant Making Trust comes just days after the new £12m Meridian Leisure Centre celebrated its three month opening and welcomed the 100,000th visitor through the doors.
