Knutsford Town Council is seeking two volunteers to join a committee to help determine how money from development is spent in the town.
Community Infrastructure Levy was introduced in Cheshire East in 2019 and 25% of the receipts for Knutsford housing development is paid to Knutsford Town Council which expects to receive over half a million pounds over the next ten years.
The ‘neighbourhood share’ of CIL can be spent on infrastructure or anything else which addresses the demands development places on the town and the Town Council has adopted a CIL Framework to govern how it will make decisions on using this important investment in the community.
The framework acknowledges that whilst the town council is the recipient of CIL it may be that the best use of the funds would be for projects delivered by partner organisations and the framework sets out that decisions on which projects should receive CIL funding will be chosen by a joint committee of residents and councillors.
Building on the success of creating the Knutsford Neighbourhood Plan, the council is establishing an advisory committee which will include eight resident leads covering the themes of the neighbourhood plan – town centre, environment and open spaces, heritage, housing and employment, sports and leisure, health, education and community and getting around. Six of the residents who led the neighbourhood plan have volunteered to continue leading their theme leaving two spaces to fill.
The role of the advisory committee will be to review bids for funds and produce a recommendation to the council’s Finance Committee. The council is looking for two residents to join the committee with a special interest in the ‘sports and leisure’ and ‘education and community’ themes.
“CIL presents a significant investment in the community but we know that there will be more investment needed than funds we’ll receive. By being part of this committee you’ll help determine which projects are prioritised and play a role in shaping the future of our town” said Town Clerk, Adam Keppel-Green.
If you are interested in joining the committee, contact the Town Clerk on 01565 653 929 or email townclerk@knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk setting out the reasons you would like to be considered.